


Song of the Sea

by Nightrayspath



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Mermaids, Merman Ancel, Minor Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince), Mutual Pining, Pining, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:27:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21921043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightrayspath/pseuds/Nightrayspath
Summary: Ancel had been free once. Swimming among the corals and colourful fish. It had been his home. Now it was only a distant dream as he was sold from owner to owner. Sometimes for pleasure sometimes for pain and often as display item in an expensive collection, that would be forgotten and resold over time. This time he was sold to a young noble so plain and boring yet so very kind.Berenger offered him his freedom in exchange for his help to retrieve something lost among the ocean’s waves. However it was not freedom he longed for. Even though he wished for safety, gold and jewels of all kinds, his heart longed for a place to call home. Maybe he found it in a man that bought him for coin and yet returned him to the ocean for the very first time since he had been caught.
Relationships: Ancel/Berenger (Captive Prince)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 75
Collections: Captive Prince Reverse Bang 2019





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> First of all look [the gorgeous art](https://silverdraeconis.tumblr.com/post/189830866759/my-piece-for-the-captive-prince-reverse-bang-2019) that inspired this work.  
> You can find the wonderful artist silverdraeconis on [Tumblr](https://silverdraeconis.tumblr.com/) and on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SilverDraeconis)
> 
> This was the first time I participated in a reverse bang and it was a joy. It was also the first time I ever wrote Berenger and Ancel. I hope you enjoy the fic.

The sun was shimmering like gold above the water. The water was as clear as the finest crystal glass. It was like a mirror of the clear blue sky. Waves gently moved with the soft winds. The corals were bright and colourful. All sizes from tall massive corals that looked like boulders, to tiny elkhorn corals were scattered across the reef. Mushroom corals were growing next to foliose corals as the branching corals grew towards the surface. Tiny fish swam between them, shimmering in all the colours of the rainbow. Clownfish swam in and out of their anemone. Bubbles rose towards the surface. Something scared them and they disappeared back into the safety of their gently swaying home. A parrotfish lazily swam past as a school of gleaming cardinal fish swam along the current. Bright yellow tang fish almost shone in the bright sun. A male seahorse slowly drifted past. Its belly full of tiny seahorses yet to be born. Cautious gobies peaked out of the crevices before returning to hiding. A four-eyed Butterfly avoided the path of a beautiful lionfish. They all scattered when a white tipped reef shark swam past. Its fin moving lazily through the water. A few wrasses cleaning him as he drifted past. As the shark drifted past, all the fish came back out of their hiding places. A giant moray snatched one unsuspecting fish and disappeared back in between the corals as if it had never been there. 

Red scattered across the water. Gently swaying with the current as a large green tail lazily moved through the water. The emerald green was dotted with golden sprinkles that sparkled in the sun. A merman was lazily swimming through the coral reef. His skin was kissed by freckles and the red hair fanned around him like silken curtain made of fire. Green eyes beneath dark lashes flickered through the corals for something to catch his interest, yet nothing held it for long. His nimble fingers skimmed over the corals, yet nothing caught his interest. He wanted something that shone and shimmered beneath the sun. Something like the golden necklace that rested against his bare chest. Ancel looked, but did not find what he felt he needed. His dwelling was sprinkled with golds and jewels. Most of his treasures he had found in the wooden wrecks left behind by the land dwellers. Yet those he could only find in the deeper parts of the sea and the deeper he dove, the more he could become the target of something that hungered for food of his size. He had risked it a few times. The thin scar was the only reminder of sharp teeth. The coral reefs he called home yielded little of what he desired. A curious clownfish swam towards. Ancel gently tapped the fish, scaring it so that it disappeared back into its anemone. Ancel couldn’t help the smile that curled across his lips. Had he been hungry the little fish would not have filled even a corner of his stomach. He silently watched as the fish swam around him as they shimmered beneath the shining sun. 

He turned around and slowly swam towards his dwelling at the edge of the reef. He passed a school of big trevally on the hunt. A little porcupine fish almost staggered across his path. The tiny fish got such a scare that inflated himself by swallowing water. The now much bigger fish was as round as a ball and drifted past Ancel trying to tell him that he was too big for his mouth. He couldn’t resist giving the fish a tiny push it tottered through the water as it desperately tried to swim away. The reef opened up, the tightly clustered corals opened up to broader areas of sand and stone. 

Suddenly something caught around his tail. Ancel flailed in a moment of panic before turning around. Some kind of net was caught around his fins. It restricted his movements and made it impossible to swim forward. Just as he reached back to detangle his fin from the net, a second net hit him. Within his next heartbeat, he was completely caught. The more he struggled to get out the tighter the net became. A tug at the net and he was being pulled through the ocean. Something was reeling him in. Panic spread through him as he futilely struggled to get free of the net. He breached the surface and wheezed as he was suddenly forced to use his nose to breathe instead of his hidden gills. He was gasping for breath. With a painful thunk he landed on a hard surface. It hurt. He struggled to free himself, but he was nothing more than a floundering fish caught on land. The sudden vibration from the ground as someone stepped closer to him made him freeze. A land dweller was leaning over him. He smelled dirty and something was covering his face that looked like discoloured seaweed. Ancel fletched his teeth when he stepped closer to him. A rough hand was grabbing his jaw and tilting his head up. The net loosened around his tail. He took his chance and tried to strike the nearest person. No one was hit, instead someone he couldn’t see stepped on it. Ancel yowled in pain. 

He glared at them and opened his mouth. A beautiful melody left his mouth. The song was filled with a sound so angelic it would bewitch all creatures around the singer. A song drenched with a siren’s power. Beneath the beautiful sound, commands were interwoven. Yet none of them reacted to what he was ordering them. He raised his voice and empowered the song with more of his magic. Yet there was still no reaction. It was the first time he felt fear spread. They were making noises he couldn’t understand. A different one grabbed his hair and dragged him backwards. Ancel struggled against the hold, but in the end he was not able to break free. The ground scratched against his skin. Suddenly, he was thrown into dark and damp place. He could see the land dwellers look down on him from a hole above. 

He hissed again and scrambled as far back as he could. He hit something that smelt like the sea. Ancel’s eyes widened in horror. There was corpse behind him. He struggled to get away from it. Empty eyes stared at him. Dried out skin was pulled taut over the skull and the smell of rot protruded the air. It was another merman. The tail was dried out and looked as if it had been broken in more than one place. Iron was wrapped around his wrists that secured the corpse to the wooden pillar behind him. Ancel felt panic and real fear consume him as he tried to get as far away as possible. A bucket of water was dumped over him and startled he looked up. The hole in dark was slowly closing and he scramble to reach it, but it was futile. He was left in darkness with only the smell of death and a rotten corpse as his companion.


	2. Chapter 1

The former theater had been rebuild and, where once a wooden stage stood, a tall tank of glass stood. The light reflected in the water displayed shimmering blue lights on the decorated walls of the theater. Statues and swirls of gold lined the corners. Thick red curtains hid the decorated tank from view. The seats were filled to the brim with nobels. Every one of them wore their money like a peacock displaying their feathers. Berenger sat in the corner. Dressed in plain colours, yet his clothes were made of the finest materials. He silently observed the chattering of his surrounding. The noise was giving him a headache. He just wanted to get it over with and return to his estate. 

The lights dimmed slowly and the guests hurried to their plush seats. Berenger watched the hustle and bustle. The lights were snuffed out and the room descended into darkness. Slowly the curtains opened. The room was bathed in shimmering light. It danced like waves over the audience. Beneath the large tank blue light fixtures had been added. The tank was framed with golden statues of mermaids. Delicate flowers and corals were engraved in the frame. Silver carvings looked like waves beneath the golden mermaid tails. Yet the tank seemed empty except for the rocks and seagrass gently moving in the artificial current. A burst of bubbles rose from three separate locations and the first three mermaids slowly swam upwards. Glowing orbs of light illuminated the water in a golden glow. Their scales shimmered in the light. The hair was like halo made of the finest silk as it gently swayed in the waters. The three mermen started moving in a pattern. It looked like an underwater dance. Their colourful tails brushed past each other as their fins gently skimmed each other. They were decorated with gold and silver. Pearls hung around their neck as golden nipple piercings moved up and down with their breath. Their dance was beautiful. They moved with a fluid ease and grace no human could achieve. Gentle smiles graced their lips. Flirty glances were thrown towards the audience. Their movements had a practiced ease to them. Something so elegant and beautiful hid a world of pain and enslavement. Berenger watched them in silent disinterest. He had to choose one single mermaid or merman, yet none of them caught his eyes. The book in his hands was far more interesting than the display in front of him. At that moment, three more appeared from the bottom of the tank. One of them had hair that looked like pure dark fire and he could not help but stare at it. 

Ancel slowly rose up. His emerald tail shimmered beneath the light. The sprinkled golden scales caught the light in a beautiful display of colour. His golden nipple piercings had dangling emeralds that shimmered in the same colour as his tail. His long red hair was like a fan as it spread around him. He raised his arms and slowly started to dance through the water. His golden bangles clinked together, yet there was no sound heard beneath the water. He could feel the eyes of the audience on him. He brushed along the other mermen as their tails intertwined for a moment. His hands moved in the rhythm of his heart as he prepared for the main event of the show. He could feel the water move as the next three merman started to appear. He could feel the cold touch travel along his arms. It was all a spectacle, something to pave his way to the next owner. An owner that would allow him to indulge. The webbed hands traveled down his upper body. They tweaked his nippels. Ancel made a show out of his reaction. He tipped his head back and displayed his throat in a play of fake submission. He licked his lip and watched the crowd through half lidded eyes. He observed them as his body was touched. 

He could see all kind of nobility gathered among the crowd. All dressed up fancy covered in jewels and diamonds. He could distinguish what kind of master’s they had the potential to be. The guy sitting front and center was watching them with a hungry gaze. He was wearing a moustache that seemed larger than his face. He was hungry for their bodies and even though he was probably rich his gaze was malicious. Pain would be the only thing that awaited one if you were bought by him. Ancel moved his gaze away. Eye contact was what most buyers would use as the final tipping point to make their purchase. The lady in the left corner was watching attentively and yet seemed disinterested. If you were bought by her the most likely scenario would be that you would be displayed like a pretty vase that would be forgotten or resold after not even a year. A large man packed with muscles in the second row might look menacing but his eyes were pure. He found them beautiful. One would be pampered and maybe even loved. Yet he was dressed the most shabily out of all of them. Another man was not even watching the show instead he was reading a book. Ancel’s eyes trailed over him deeming him as too boring. He moved onto the elevated seats. Up there he could see someone whose eyes were hungry with greed. They were hungry for the pleasures of the flesh yet there was no desire to inflict pain onto any of them. It was an older gentleman that looked much more refined in comparison to all he had seen. Ancel looked up and made eye contact. He tipped his head to the side and looked at him from beneath lower lashes as the merman behind him trailed both his hands downwards. He slipped his fingers in between the soft scales at his front and stroked the insides. His dick hardened and slowly revealed itself. The touch felt almost impersonal. It was nothing more than a performance. Something he had perfected over the years. He moaned soundlessley beneath the water as he shivered in his arms. He let his head tip forward to hide the self satisfied smirk as he was mounted. He writhed beneath him, clawing at the sand. Besides him he could see the other reaching their pleasure on each other. As the water was slowly sprinkled with white the curtains fell. 

All of them slowly swam to the surface of the water. From the seats one could not see the overhead crossing made of wooden planks. The workers pulled them out of the water and clipped the collars back onto their throats. All of them carried weapons for the case of a mermaid or merman getting aggressive. Two people carried them to their much smaller display tanks. the tank was barely higher than Ancel was tall. It hardly allowed movement. The room was large and long. Besides the first and last tank, stairs led up towards the crosswalk that was above all of the tanks. The curtains to the backroom opened and the potential buyers streamed into the room. People slowly walked from tank to tank and looked at them. At the front of the tanks, places with information were hanging. Ancel touched the glass and lowered himself to be eye level with the people watching him. He shuddered when he realized that moustache man was coming over to his tank. The older gentleman seemed enthralled by the merman next to him. He seemed much more fragile and gentle looking than Ancel. He couldn’t help but curse in his heart. He smiled at his potential master hoping that any of them other than moustache guy would buy him. He shuddered under his hungry gaze. He could already imagine the pain of a whip biting into his flesh. He didn’t want to remember his first master. His back twinged with long forgotten traces of pain. 

“Sir, I want to buy this merman. How much is he?” The moustache asked and Ancel felt fear shoot through him. Yet he carefully kept it off his face. A man wearing a suit and amicable smile stepped forward.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, but this merman has already been sold.” The man said with an apologetic smile. Ancel felt his tail go slack with relief. Anybody was better than him.

“Preposterous. I will offer more than double the price he had been sold for.” The man said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Ancel curled in on himself and slowly sank to the bottom of his tank. He hugged his tail and hid his face from view. He was doomed, there was no way that he would not be sold to this cruel man. 

“I have to apologize again, but the contract has already been established and we cannot sell an already sold specimen.” The man said with an apologetic bow. Ancel looked up again. Maybe not all was lost. 

“Who bought him?” The man with the moustache was starting to get angry. His face was reddening at an alarming rate.

“Me.” A calm voice said from behind him. A young man stepped forward. He closed the book he had been reading. He was wearing unremarkable clothes in dull brown colours and his dark hair was kept short. He wore a calm expression. He reminded Ancel of an ocean without a breeze. Just calm water. He was the one Ancel had deigned to be boring and even now he did not turn his back on that opinion. 

“Lord Berenger.” The large man bowed with what almost seemed like reverence and Ancel had to concede that he might not be as simple as he had expected. Ancel watched silently as he the men talked. When moustache man left Ancel couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. The man named Berenger stayed behind. Ancel sent him a smile embedded with his flirtatious intentions. Berenger remained impassive. 

“Can I already take him with me?” Berenger asked the man that had sold Ancel to him. 

“Yes of course, sir. How would you like to have it transported?” He asked with a polite smile.

“He will be in the carriage.” Berenger answered simply.

“But he might dry out. It is better to transport him separately in a tank.” the man advised.

“No,” Berenger answered simply. He descended the stair at the side of the tank and stood upon the crosswalk that was spread out over all the tanks. Only employees were allowed to walk there. Berenger chose to ignore the sign stating so.

“Sir, let me call some helpers to fish him out and carry him to the carriage.” The man called, anxious. He feared that Ancel might pull Berenger into the water and attempt to drown him. It had happened in the past. Berenger ignored his call. He kneeled on the crosswalk and looked into the water. Ancel looked up towards him.

“Come here.” Berenger said. His voice was much gentler. He had spoken much harsher towards the other. He gently tapped the water’s surface causing ripples to spread throughout the surface.

Ancel slowly breached the surface. Only his eyes were above the water and were watching Berenger with caution. As boring as he seemed, Ancel couldn’t get a good read on him. As soon as Ancels head was above the water, Berenger reached forward and grabbed Ancel beneath his arms. He didn’t have time to react before was already pulled out of the water and onto the crosswalk. He gasped as his body quickly tried to adapt to the sudden change of air intake. In the water, his gills took care of his air supply. The gills were hidden along his neck. If one did not know what to look for they would not be noticed. On land he had to breathe the same way as all land dwellers do. His respiratory system struggled to adapt to the sudden change. 

“Sorry.” Berenger apologized before he took a hold of Ancel’s tail and of his upper body. With a sound of exertion, he lifted him. he had picked him up and was now carrying him in his arms. His tail made him much heavier than a normal human of his size would be. Slowly, Berenger descended the steps. Ancel had his arms wrapped around his neck. He feared that they would fall. He didn’t want to look down, so he hid his face in Berenger’s neck. His unique smell surrounded him. He smelled of earth and there was no trace of the oceanic scent on him and yet Ancel felt that he smelled strangely comforting. A little bit like the air over his coral reef he had called home.

Berenger slowly walked outside of the large building he ignored the looks other people sent his way. The nobles were pointing at him and whispering. He slowly moved towards his unassuming carriage that was almost last in line. Ancel could feel Berenger's muscle strain beneath his weight, yet he did not stop nor put him down.   
Ancel could hear the whickering of horses. He could feel hot breath at the back of his neck and he couldn’t suppress the flinch. Horses were something he had never gotten used to. The big animals still terrified him at times. He could hear Berenger talk to the horses in a hushed voice. The sound of someone opening the carriage door could be heard. Berenger gently placed him on one of the satin covered seats before climbing into the seat opposite of him. The carriage was far more refined from the inside than its plain outsides suggested. Slowly, the carriage started to move. The gentle swaying motion remained Ancel of the gentle waves rolling across the ocean's surface. Berenger watched him silently. Ancel bit his lip and watched him from beneath lowered lushes. He worried his lips between his teeth till it was a kissable red. 

“Give me your tail.” Berenger said calmly as he unlaced his dark jacket and neatly folded it. Ancel watched him warily before slowly laying his tail on Berenger’s lap. He reached down and grabbed something out of a silver bucket. It was a wet sponge. Gently he started to trail the sponge along Ancel’s tail. Ancel couldn’t help but close his eyes in contentment. The wet glide of the sponge felt wonderful on his scales. Berenger's hands were gentle and calm as they made sure that not a single scale got dry. His rough fingertips felt good. Slowly he worked his way up Ancel’s tail. The gentle administration made Ancel’s lashes flutter in pleasure. An unintentional smile curled his lips. Berenger was silent as he worked. Gently he started to spread the water across the scales that reached up his hip bones. When Ancel opened his eyes Berenger was so close to him that he could almost count the dark lashes one by one. Ancel reached out with his arms and wrapped them around Berenger’s neck. Yet when he attempted to pull Berenger closer he broke free of his grasp and sat back down onto his seat. Ancel couldn’t help the pout that formed on his lips. 

“Do not pout. Pleasure is not something I seek of you.” Berenger said as he slowly moved the sponge along the emerald fin splayed on his lap. Ancel tilted his head. They always sought pleasure from him no matter if it was of the bodily nature or just as a piece in someone’s collection. 

“I know you understand me and I wonder if you can even speak our language.” Berenger said in a calm voice. He was watching Ancel with a focus that seemed almost scary. Ancel froze. He always hid away his capabilities. Let the land dwellers think he was just a dumb animal. The more they knew the more they used him. He narrowed his eyes. Berenger was unperturbed and just sat in silence. 

“What gave me away?” Ancel asked with a tilt of his head. He flicked his red hair over his shoulder.

“The moment when the lower noble attempted to buy you. I was watching.” Berenger said. There was still no emotional infliction in his words.

“Ah, you were watching me that closely?” Ancel asked with a flirtatious smile gracing his lips. Berenger ignored his question. Ancel was starting to feel annoyed. It felt as if he was sitting opposite of a wooden block.

“What is your name?” Berenger asked instead.

“Don’t you want to name me, Master?” Ancel asked with fluttering lashes.

“No,” Berenger answered.

“Am I such a bad pet that I do not even deserve a name?” Ancel asked as he pretended to slump in sadness. He blinked and let unshed tears swim in his eyes. 

“You have a name.” Berenger stated again with his unwavering calm. He was getting really annoying.

“And why should I tell it to you?” Ancel asked with an arched brow. His mask of carefully crafted submission was failing fast. It was an act he had crafted to preserve his life and yet he couldn’t keep it up in front of this man.

“Otherwise I will call you Fishy.” Berenger answered with a deadpan face. He was starting to get infuriating. Ancel gnashed his teeth together.

“You wouldn’t dare.” Ancel said with narrowed eyes. His tail moved with his unhappiness and slapped Berenger’s knee. He remained unperturbed.

“Fishy, what is it you want most?” Berenger asked as he leaned forward to regard Ancel with his piercing gaze.

“Ancel, my name is Ancel.” Ancel admitted before asking, “What do you mean?”. 

“I need your skills.” Berenger answered plainly. 

“What kind of skills?” Ancel asked as ran a hand through his hair and started to untangle the knots that had formed by it slowly drying.

“I need to retrieve something from the bottom of the ocean.” Berenger said as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the plush backrest. Ancel’s motion froze.

“Wouldn’t you be afraid of me swimming away?” Ancel probed with a tilt of his head. He did miss the ocean but at the same time he did not want to return. There was nothing there but dullness and loneliness. There was nothing that sparkled and glinted in the sun. There were no other merfolk he could interact with. He was a simple coral merman, loners by nature and yet he felt different. He could not live with the deep sea mers that had close family bonds. He loved the things the surface dwellers crafted. Everything was so beautiful, he wanted to hoard it and let no one else lay its eyes on it. He didn’t want to give up the luxuries he could gain underneath the right master. Like his second master whom died of old age. He had covered him in golden jewelry and gold. It had all been taken away when he was put up for sale for a second time. His first owner had been cruel and in the end died beneath the blade of a knight. His blood-soaked hands had left their fingerprints in many dirty businesses. 

“No, if it's your freedom you want in exchange it would be freely given.” Berenger explained. Ancel felt surprise shoot through him at his words. So he really only needed him for this one thing. There was no desire for him to remain. He was unwanted. Why was he even surprised. 

“What if it's not my freedom I want?” Ancel asked as he started to play with the gold necklace hanging around his throat. Berenger picked up the sponge again and started to moisturize his tail once more. 

“Name your price and it shall be delivered to you.” Berenger said as his thumb gently trailed across one of Ancel’s scattered gold scales. 

“If I want all the riches of the world?” Ancel asked with a smile.

“I would do my best to deliver them to you.” Berenger said with a serious expression. 

“I’m joking.” Ancel said with a sigh. This man did not have a single amusing bone in his body.  
“You do not have to decide yet.” Berenger said.

“What if I just decide to bewitch you and make you do as I bid?” Ancel said as he slowly started to hum under his breath.

“Your songs don’t affect me.” Berenger said as he picked up the book that had lain discarded by his side. 

“Oh, it doesn’t?” Ancel asked with an amused smile. He opened his lips and a hauntingly beautiful melody spread through the air. The sound was like the clearest harp string and the most beautiful flute. Ancel closed his eyes and let his siren song spill forth. His song spun the tale of the ocean, of the changing tides and the bellowing winds. It was a song of his home, of the colorful coral reefs and the swarms of rainbow fish. Yet its longing ran deeper than just the longing for a home. It was the sound of wanting another's warm touch. Its lyrics told of the old treasure lost at sea of sparkling gold and silver. The carriage stopped and the sound of crying could be heard. The carriage driver was crying as the song rose to a crescendo. Fear and darkness swirled in the clear notes as tales of pain and capture prevailed. Slowly, the last note was scattered in the air and Ancel opened his eyes. Berenger was still watching him unmoved. His hands slowly stroking up and down his tail.

“You’re really not affected?” Ancel asked with a tilt of his head. Dread spread along his veins. If his best defense was ineffective against him it would leave him vulnerable. There had never been a human his song could not bewitch. They had to cover their ears or wear earplugs to resist his songs..

“I can feel the compulsion, but I have no need to act on it.” Berenger answered as he trailed the sponge along Ancel’s fin.

“Will my driver stop crying at some point?” Berenger asked with an arched eyebrow. Ancel thought he might have detected some amusement in his expression, but he was not sure. Ancel shrugged with his shoulders. 

“So what is it you desire?” Berenger asked since he did not receive an answer the first time around. The carriage slowly started to move again. The steady swaying resumed.

“Gold, jewels, safety and no pain.” Ancel said with shrug. 

“They are not impossible to gift.” Berenger answered.

“What do I need to retrieve for you?” Ancel asked as he fiddled with the gold ring on his finger. 

“Evidence of crime that has been submerged beneath the waves. It’s old and buried, yet it’s very important.” Berenger answered vaguely.

“I cannot know what kind of evidence it is?” Ancel asked with a frown.

“No, it might get you killed.” Berenger answered. The deadly serious expression on his face didn’t waver.

“Can you guarantee my safety? I hate pain.” Ancel asked.

“As the head of my house I swear to you that no harm shall befall you.” Berenger promised and Ancel slowly felt himself relax into the soft satin seat. 

“I will lend my skill.” Ancel said. 

“Good,” Berenger said as he pulled a folded piece of parchment out, which was hidden between the pages of his book. It was a contract. 

“It seals our deal and binds us in an oath to uphold it.” Berenger answered. He grabbed the feather and the ink that was placed on top of the armrest next to his seat. He signed his part of the contract with flourish before handing it over to Ancel. Ancel stared at the text before him, he couldn’t read. It looked like weird swirls and lines. He made a few swirls as his signature as he couldn’t write.

“You should read what you sign before giving your signature.” Berenger frowned and his words almost sounded like a scolding.

“I cannot read nor write.” Ancel said with a careless shrug. He could feel he horror coming of Berenger in waves. It was the largest reaction he had gotten out of him yet. 

“We will have to remedy that.” Berenger said. He looked as if he was already sketching out a lesson plan inside his head.

“Why? I won’t need it.” Ancel complained, but Berenger ignored him. Ancel stuck out his bottom lip and turned his head away. He was pouting again.

“Stop it.” Berenger said with a sigh as he massaged the bridge of his nose.

“Then gift me something and I will stop pouting.” Ancel said with brilliant grin. Berenger conceded. Maybe having him as his master was a stroke of luck. The rest of the journey was passed in comfortable silence.


	3. Chapter 2

The carriage passed through a gate of iron and slowly moved up a path of gravel. Ancel pushed the curtain of the carriage window aside. He could see lush greenery growing along the path. Hedges of lush green lined the path. He could see bushes with blooming flowers behind them. Trees swayed in the wind. The well maintained grass was surrounded by a stone wall. Behind it, the thicket of forest was all he could see. In the distance at the edge of the property he see a building that looked like a stable. It was far bigger than any stable he had seen before. Horses were being led around by stable hands. Their coats shimmered beneath the sun. Most of them were of a dark chestnut colour. They continued up the the path. The flowers and hedges slowly lessened.. The carriage came to a stop and Ancel let the curtain fall closed. Someone opened the door and Berenger stepped outside. Words were exchanged before Berenger reached back inside. He picked Ancel up and maneuvered him out of the carriage. His tail made it more difficult than it would have been otherwise. Berenger was gentle in his touch and Ancel had the inexplicable feeling of being able to just completely relax. Something in him was feeling at ease in Berenger’s company and it puzzled him. 

He got the first real look at his future home in the arms of Berenger. It was a huge mansion and yet it seemed very plain. The light bricks were smooth. Not a single crack could be seen. Even though the building was clearly old. There was not a speck of dirt on even a single window. Everything was orderly and well maintained. There were no extravagant decorations and not many servants were standing at the door in greeting. It seemed so simple. Too simple. The headbutler stepped forward and exchanged a few words with him. Ancel silently watched the other servants. None of them seemed overly interested in him. He could change that though. A simple song and he could have them wrapped around his fingers. It was always good to have one or two servants on his side. It would be even easier to bewitch them if they showed desire for him. Greed and desire were the easiest emotions to amplify with a few simple notes. The maid in the back flushed red under his attention. Ancel suppressed the smirk that wanted to curl across his lips.

“Behave.” A voice whispered into his ear. The low tone sent a shiver down his spine. Berenger seemed to have noticed his attention on the servants. 

“Me misbehave? I would never dare to, Master.” Ancel purred as his fingers skimmed across the skin of Berenger’s throat. He sent him a look and only sighed. The maids opened the door of the mansion. The entrance hall was much more extravagant than the exterior, but still much plainer than what Ancel had seen from his previous owners. Berenger carried him up a stone staircase. He carried him along hallways lined with portraits of people looking strikingly similar to Berenger. All of them wore stern expressions and seemed like they did not have a single funny bone in their body. 

They arrived in what seemed to be Berenger’s study. Bookshelves lined the wall and a sturdy wooden desk stood in the center. On top it, documents were neatly sorted. Directly opposite of the desk, a large glass wall stood that allowed on to look in the room next door. Only, the room was filled with water. Berenger slowly ascended a pair of wooden stairs that had been built next to the glas. A small wooden pier was at the top. Berenger let Ancel drop in the water. Ancel would forever deny the yelp he let out as he was unceremoniously dropped. He swam back towards the surface. 

“Master, how could you be so mean to me?” Ancel asked as he looked up towards Berenger with large eyes and a quivering lip.  
“You’re not that delicate.” Berengers said. As he climbed back down the stairs. He took off his jacket and draped it over the chair at the desk. Ancel sent a glare his way. He was a delicate beauty. Berenger ignored him and started to work on the paper spread across his table. 

Ancel swam a lap around the room. It seemed like this had been a guest room before it had been transformed into a giant fish tank. The window from before was still there. It had been sealed shut, but Ancel could still see the outside through the glass. He could see stables and miles of grassland. Large forest marked the border. Horses ran across the green fields. Ancel touched the glass once before turning away. All the furniture had been removed from the room. Instead, there were underwater plants planted in large clay pots. Kelp grew in a large pot and seemed almost like a curtain hiding a corner of the room. Behind there was a bed made out of seaweed, wood and fabrics. The fabrics would not hold long, but it was a gesture that Ancel could appreciate. He swam back towards the wall of glass and silently watched Berenger as he scribbled something on a white piece of paper.   
He fell asleep to the rhythmic sound of a quill on a piece of pergament. He slept as he gently floated in the water. Berenger stopped his writing and just watched him for a moment. The sound of the quill on paper resumed. 

The following day all followed a similar pattern. It was incredibly dull. Berenger got up in the morning and brought him his breakfast before leaving to eat his own food. Afterwards, Ancel could see him through the window as he worked with the horses. After that, he just sat on his desk and worked till dinner was served. After that, he would work some more till he blew the candle out and went to bed. It was incredibly boring. Ancel was bored. Berenger was the most boring owner he had ever had the pleasure or misfortune of having. He liked Berenger as an owner, but he was just so dull. Every day, he wore clothes in all shades of brown. It was a colours he was becoming sick of. Brown and more Brown. He had the urge to sink Berenger’s wardrobe to the bottom of the ocean where their owner could never reach them. Berenger was too serious. He never went along with any of the amusing ideas he came up with. He was good to him though. His food was wonderful. A mixture of fish and kelp. He didn’t hurt him and had never laid a hand on him in an inappropriate way. He hardly paid attention to him which was something that bothered him more than he would have thought. Yet he had presented him with something beautiful. Ancel touched the tangling earrings that graced his ears with an absent-minded smile.

On the second day, he had presented Ancel with a pair of shimmering emerald earrings encased in the finest gold flowers. They dangled from his ears and Ancel could not help but touch them again. They felt wonderful beneath his fingers. He watched as Berenger pulled out a book from one of the shelves. His gaze was focused on the words on the page he had opened. He caressed the spine of the book before putting it back. It felt irrational, but Ancel couldn’t help but feel irked that a book was getting more attention than he was getting. He did not like being ignored. He wanted the attention. Berenger needed to look at him and not at the papers and books on his desk. He wanted the solemn eyes to look at him directly. 

Ancel took his chance the next day when Berenger brought him his breakfast. With lots of pouting and asking did Berenger finally concede. Ancel would be able to join him outside as he tended to his horses. Ancel himself was slightly terrified of horses, but he knew that Berenger loved the furry beasts. So, what better way to give a positive impression than getting along with those four legged creatures. 

It was easier said than done Ancel had to concede. It was hot outside. The sun was almost burning on his skin. He had to keep his tail constantly hydrated for fear of drying out. There was no wind. His tail sparkled beneath the sunlight as Ancel gently splashed water onto his fin.

Ancel lay in a tub next to the stables as Berenger brushed one of the mares next to him. The tub was too small and his tail was hanging over the edge. His red hair lay spread over the edge like curtain of ruby silk strands. Ancel didn’t want to think that the tub might have been a horse trough. The mare’s foal was standing close and attempting to nibble at Berenger’s shirt. Berenger shooed the foal away with a chuckle before he started talking to the mare in a gentle voice. He gave her an apple treat. Ancel had tried to get Berenger to talk with him but he only had gotten one word answers. Now he had to listen to him whisper praises into a horse’s ear. Ancel huffed. It seemed that the horses were worth more than he. Ancel huffed. He was priceless. 

“Stop sulking.” Berenger’s voice startled him.

“I am not sulking.” Ancel protested as he crossed his arms and slipped lower into the tub. Berenger send him a look and arched an eyebrow. Ancel did not dignify it with an answer. Something was tugging at his hair. Ancel looked up and came face-to-face with large doe eyes. The foal had decided that his hair would make a great snack. Ancel let out a scream of surprise. The foal startled and jumped backwards. Harshly tugging at Ancel’s hair making tears spring into his eyes. Ancel flounder and scrambled into a sitting position. He reached out and clung to Berenger. He didn’t care that he was making Berenger wet. The horse made a noise and Ancel couldn’t suppress the flinch. 

“I want to go back inside.” Ancel muttered as he pressed his face into Berenger's back. Berenger laid a hand over Ancel’s. Before he turned around and gently brushed the tear that had spilled away from Ancel’s cheek. Ancel leaned into the touch.   
Berenger called out to the stable hand to finish with the mare and her foal. He reached down and picked Ancel up. Ancel snuggled close. Berenger was warm to the touch and he could hear his heartbeat. 

Berenger carried him up the hill and Ancel pressed his face into his neck. He felt embarrassed. He had definitely overreacted. His plan had backfired. Even though he did manage to get Berenger's attention. His behaviour had been nothing short of disgraceful. He let out a sigh and wet his lips with a flick of his tongue. He touched Berenger’s skin by accident. It tasted salty. Berenger froze for a moment. The grip he had on his tail tightened for a moment before he relaxed again. Ancel smirked. So he was not completely unaffected. Ancel only lifted his head when they reached the study. 

Berenger gently put him down at the edge of the pier. When Ancel was about to slip into the water Berenger’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“Berenger?” Ancel asked as he tilted his head into his direction. 

“Your hair's a mess.” Berenger said as his fingers carded through the red tresses.   
“Your horse’s fault.” Ancel grumbled.

“Wait here.” Berenger said as he descended the ladder. Ancel’s tail gently swayed in the water as he sat on the pier. Berenger was back after only a moment. He sat down behind Ancel. 

“What are you doing?” Ancel asked as he turned his head to try and look behind him. The first touch of fingers trailing across his skalp sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine.   
Berenger held out his hand for Ancel to see. In it lay a delicate silver comb decorated with pearls and nacre. 

“If I pull too much tell me.” Berenger said as he started to comb through the hair. Ancel only nodded and did not give a verbal response. The rhythmic movement of the comb through his hair made Ancel almost purr in contentment. The steady movement of the comb and the fingers that trailed through his hair afterwards sent soft waves of pleasure down his spine. Fingers gently trailing through his hair after the comb made him shiver. The feeling of them gently massaging his skalp made him hum in pleasure. Anybody else would have gotten drunk on the sound, only Berenger remained steady behind him. The soothing motion slowly made him drowsy and he couldn’t help but lean backwards. He slumped into Berenger’s chest. Berenger let out a sound of amusement before gently laying his hair over his shoulder. He continued with the gentle brushing of his hair and Ancel closed his eyes in bliss. He could hear the sound of Berenger’s steady heartbeat and it was like the most tender melody. The sound could lull him to a sleep filled with the calmest dreams. 

“Are you falling asleep on me?” Berenger asked as he brushed the hair out of Ancel’s face with the softest touch. Ancel leaned into the touch with a blissed sigh. 

“Comfy.” Ancel slurred as he turned his head to press his cheek into Berenger’s chest. He was right above the beating heart. Berenger put the comb aside, but continued to trail his fingers through Ancel’s hair. They stayed like that for a few moments longer till Berenger shivered and gently pushed Ancel away. His clothes were still drenched with cold water from when he had carried Ancel back towards the manor. Ancel flushed.

“Get changed, I do not want to lose my master to a simple cold.” Ancel said as he shooed Berenger away. He submerged himself in the water as he watched Berenger leave. He trailed his fingers through his hair, but it felt nowhere near as good as it had felt when Berenger had done it. He sighed before swimming behind the curtain of kelp.

In the next few days, Ancel pretended to get his hair entangled. He looked at Berenger with big pleading eyes till he relented and gently started to brush his hair for him. Those moments were moments of pure bliss for Ancel. He loved them. It felt heavenly and caused tingles and sparks to roll down his spine. One time Berenger had tugged harshly at one of the knots and even that had felt like a spike of pleasure. He had let out a low sound of pleasure. He wanted more. More of Berenger’s attention. More of his touch. He craved it. He needed it like he needed water to survive.   
The touch to his hair would only keep him satisfied for so long. He wanted Berenger’s eyes on him. He wanted that he watched him. 

The lessons Berenger had alluded to had started and Ancel had never been so torn about receiving attention. It kept his burning hunger at bay. Even though at the end of the day his head hurt. Symbols and letters haunted him even in his dreams. Berenger was merciless. He expected perfection and complete dedication. Slacking in any way or form was not allowed. No matter how much Ancel whined. No matter how much he pouted he could not get out of his lessons. A part of him revelled in the attention he got through them. Yet at the same time it was not the kind of attention he wanted. Secretly he enjoyed the lessons. He soaked up everything he was taught. Praise from Berenger’s lips was like the best kind of aphrodisiac. Another part of him hated the lessons. He could only watch but not touch. Yet he wanted it so much. He wanted him.

It started out with an innocent touch. Berenger was working on his documents at the table as Ancel lazily drifted through the water. His fingers trailed through his hair and slowly moved downwards. They skimmed over one of his pierced nipples and Ancel let out a sound of startled pleasure. The sound carried through the water and Berenger looked up from the paper he was writing on. The fact that Berenger’s eyes were on him made him shiver. Tentatively he brushed over his other nipple. He shuddered in pleasure. Gasping beneath the water. Berenger’s eyes felt like they would burn him even with the water caressing his skin and scales. Ancel met Berenger’s gaze for just a moment. He looked back down and continued to work. Only the light flush of his ears betrayed that he was reacting. Ancel licked his lips he might have found a way to grab more of his attention. 

It became almost like a game to him. He started to pleasure himself in front of Berenger. It started out with simply touching himself, trailing his hands all over his body. He started playing with his nipples as Berenger read through his books. He made noises of pleasure but Berenger hardly showed a reaction. When Berenger brought him his food one morning he had taken his fingers into his mouth. Not caring about the fish that dropped into the water with a splash. He had licked and sucked on the fingers in his mouth. He had coated them with his saliva as he moaned around them. His gaze had been filled with desire. Berenger’s eyes had been filled with heat as he watched him wrapped his red lips around his fingers. Whenever Berenger wanted to pull them away Ancel grabbed his wrist and pushed them deeper instead. He was trembling. 

“Behave.” Berenger said as he pulled them out and the trail of saliva connecting his fingers to Ancel’s abused lips had made Ancel shiver. The tone alone sent pleasure down his spine. Berenger had watched him for a moment longer before he had left to take care of the horses. Ancel put his own fingers in his mouth and chased his pleasure. 

No matter how proactively he displayed himself in front of Berenger he got no reaction. It irked him. No matter how much he moaned and sighed Berenger remained cool headed. The only time he touched him was when he trailed his fingers through his hair when he brushed it. Ancel wanted his hands on him. So he tried to seduce him at any given opportunity. The only time he did not try to get Berenger to touch him was when he was brushing his hair. He feared that he would stop if he tried to seduce him in those moments. He did not want to lose that small moment of bliss. Yet Berenger seemed so unaffected by him. He was quivering in pleasure in front of Berenger and yet he did not look up even once from his work. Ancel had always believed that he could wrap anyone around his finger. That everyone desired him in some form and yet the one person who was resistant to his seduction was the one person he wanted to seduce the most. Ancel didn’t know why he craved his attention so much he just knew that he wanted it like he wanted the finest sparkling jewels.

Ancel watched silently as Berenger read. With a sigh he stopped touching his nipples. He released the golden nipple piercing he had been playing with. His nippels throbbed from pleasure and yet Ancel was not satisfied with the pleasure that heated his body. He sighed and curled up on the bottom of the tank. He felt disheartened no matter what he did it felt like he was in a play as the sole actor. He sulked for a while longer till a voice interrupted his pouting.

“Ancel?” Berengers voice sounded muted through the water and yet no less deep. Ancel unrolled from his position and gently swam to the surface. Berenger was sitting at the pier with his feet dangling in the water. His trouser legs were rolled up.

“Come here.” Berenger beckoned and as if he was the man underneath the merman’s spell Ancel swam closer. He came to a stop in front of him.

“Turn around,” Ancel followed Berenger’s command and offered Berenger his back. Berenger’s hands trailed through his hair. The touch made him hum in contentment. A light tugging sensation and the feeling of something heavy settling in his hair made him open his eyes. The rippling surface of the water showed him the image of a golden hair clasp decorated with golden corals, emeralds and pearls. He looked up and saw Berenger smile at him. Ancel turned around and placed his hands on Berenger’s knees. He pushed himself up out of the water to place a light kiss onto Berenger’s cheek .

“Thank you.” Ancel said with a sweet smile before he let himself sink beneath the surface. 

It was a day later. Ancel had been sleeping when the light of the study was suddenly lit. Ancel woke up and slowly swam towards the light. Berenger was sitting behind his desk. In front of him, two visitors were standing. Both were covered in cloaks. One of them was tall and broad, the other one was more on the lean side. 

“Your Highness,” Berenger bowed respectfully. Ancel slowly swam closer till his face was almost pressed against the glass. 

“There is no need for such formalities, Berenger.” The shorter of the two spoke. He pushed his hood back and hair that looked like spun gold spilled forth. He could only see his back, but the hair shimmered like one of his golden treasures. 

“I see you found someone for the job.” The prince said as he took a took a glance at Ancel. His blue eyes were piercing and it seemed as if he could see through every thought and feeling that Ancel might have. 

“Careful with mermaids, they might bewitch you.” The prince smirked as he tilted his head towards his companion. “Isn’t that right, Damen?” 

“Laurent,” his companion said with a sigh. There was an undertone of a Siren’s song in his words and Ancel was immediately alert. He had two legs, but that was unmistakingly the sound of a merman. How had he gotten two legs? 

“Hit a nerve, Damen?” Laurent asked with a teasing note in his voice. 

“You? You would never go for a weak spot.” The sarcasm was heavy in his words and yet there seemed to be a smile accompanying it. 

“Pashal has sent the coordinates.” Prince Laurent said as he addressed Berenger.

“Should we retrieve it immediately?” Berenger asked.

“No, wait for a bit longer. Uncle is suspicious.” Laurent said as he crossed his arms.

“He has tightened his security and he is keeping a closer eye on Laurent.” Damen added with a huff.

“How nice was it of him to gift me Damen not knowing just what he was.” Laurent said with a smirk. It was reflected on his companions face.

“He has been watching the rest of the nobility as well.” Berenger said as he leaned back into his chair. 

“Don’t let him become suspicious of you, Berenger.” Laurent said with a frown.

“I have already found that one of my maids is a spy.” Berenger admitted with a sigh.

“Let her live. Her death would only alert him.” Laurent said.

“She has been fed false information and she knows nothing.” Berenger nodded. 

“Good.” Laurent said.

“You should make sure that your mer doesn’t speak of the wrong thing.” Laurent said as he regarded Ancel like one might regard a bug. Ancel bristled at the implication that he could betray Berenger. 

“He won’t.” Berenger stated bluntly. Ancel just stopped the smile that wanted to rise at the display of trust. 

“Suit yourself. If he betrays you and thus me I won’t be kind.” Prince Laurent said. 

“This is the code you will need. Pashal has written down where he hid it as well.” Prince Laurent said as he pushed the letter towards Berenger. 

“One of our men could have sent this. You took an unneeded risk.” Berenger said with a frown.

“I told him so.” Damen said with clear exasperation.

“I needed to handle other matters as well.”

“He just wanted to be chased by soldiers across a rooftop.” Damen complained.

“Oh, hush you.” Prince Laurent said as he lightly hit the shoulder of his companion. 

“Pashal has told you that you need rest. Running around is the opposite of rest.” Damen added.

“How is he?” Berenger asked and thus interrupted their banter that seemed as if it could go on forever. 

“For someone who is perceived as dead by the rest of the world surprisingly lively.” Laurent said with a smirk.

“Laurent, the patrols will switch soon.” Damen said as he leaned closer. Laurent leaned into him and both were radiating contentment. Ancel couldn’t stop the flare of jealousy that rose at the open display. 

“I will lead you out.” Berenger said as he got up.

“No need, we know the way.” Prince Laurent waved off his good intentions and pulled his hood back up. Damen opened the door for him. They disappeared as quietly as they had appeared. Berenger sighed and massaged his temples. 

“Berenger?” Ancel asked softly. His voice was greatly muted, but Berenger still heard him. He walked towards him. His forehead lightly rested against the glass. He placed his hand on it and Ancel mirrored him from inside the tank. Berenger’s hand was bigger than his own. 

“The regent is driving this Kingdom into ruin.” Berenger confessed as he closed his eyes. Ancel hummed, hoping to sooth the waves of agitation that seemed to be trapped in Berenger’s body. 

“He has done so many misdeeds. He has caused so much pain and yet he rules without a single blemish tarnishing him. He rules when it was supposed to be Prince Laurent’s throne. He rules as he takes children to bed and fills the hallways with screams.” Berenger’s voice was filled with rage. Yet his face remained impassive. Only his eyes were filled with pain. Ancel had the urge to hug him. If only there was no glass between them.

“We will him topple him from his throne.” Berenger promised as calm slowly washed over him. 

“You will,” Ancel said as he leaned his forehead against Berenger’s. The glass the only thing that separated them. 

“You cannot tell a soul of what you heard or saw today, promise me.” Berenger said as he looked at Ancel with an intense expression. Ancel nodded.

“I saw nothing and heard nothing, I promise.” Ancel said as he gazed directly into Berenger’s warm eyes. 

“Thank you.” Berenger said with a smile. Ancel couldn’t help the answering smile that rose to his lips. 

“Good night, Ancel.” Berenger whispered as he took a step from the glass. 

“Good night, Berenger.” Ancel answered in the same quiet tone. His eyes followed after Berenger till the lights were shut and the room was plunged into darkness again. Only the moon shone through the windows now.


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I accidentaly uploaded the wrong chapter a few hours ago >< . Now its the right one. Merry christmas!!

Ancel was delighted as the breeze of the ocean ruffled through his hair. Berenger sat next to him with a stoic expression. Ancel had to stop a giggle from escaping. Berenger was not good on boats. The motion of the boat made him seasick and if not for his tightly clenched fist Ancel would not have even noticed. He seemed as stoic as he usually was. 

The little fishing boat they were on rocked with the waves of the ocean. They were out here to retrieve something. Not the something he had been bought for, but something smaller. A necklace in a jewelry box. Berenger had called it a practice run. Just something to test out how it would work for the later task. The sailor shouted that they were nearly there and Ancel snickered at the relieved look that stole itself over Berenger’s features.

“Aw, are you seasick, Master?” Ancel asked with a teasing lilt to his voice. He didn’t try to stop the broad grin from splitting his face.

Berenger sent him a dark look but otherwise did not answer him. Instead, he took a deep breath and tried to stop the feeling of being sick from rising.

“Should I distract you, Master?” Ancel asked as he leaned into Berenger’s space. His voice was a low purr.

“No,” Berenger said as looked at Ancel steadily.

“Why not? It would make you feel better.” Ancel asked as he reached out to trail his finger along Berenger’s leg. 

“Ancel.” The warning note in his voice made Ancel drop his hand. He pouted. He couldn’t understand how Berenger did not want to touch him. It was unfathomable.

“Have you eaten?” Berenger asked. Ancel glanced at him and turned his head away to pout.

“No.” How could Ancel have eaten when today was the day that he would be able to swim in the ocean for the first time since he had been caught. 

“Please eat something.” Berenger said as he leaned sideways and grabbed into one of the buckets standing next to his bench. They were filled with fish. Berenger grabbed one of the fish. He had gotten used to the smell. He held it out towards Ancel. Just as Ancel was about to reach for it a seagull swooped down from the sky. The fish was snatched just like that. Berenger stared at his empty hand whereas Ancel let out and indignant squawk. 

“Get back here! You stinking thief!” Ancel shouted as he glared at the bird. Berenger had to stop the laugh from escaping. Ancel looking all ruffled was an adorable sight to see. 

“I hope you choke! Bloody bird!” Ancell grumbled with a huff. Berenger watched Ancel, who got self conscious after being stared at for such a long time. 

“What? I hate those bloody birds!” Ancel said as he glared at the seagulls flying above their boat.

“Just because they stole your food” Berenger asked with a quirk of his lip. 

“Just?! They have sullied my hair before.” Ancel exclaimed loudly. At the expression of pure indignation on his face Berenger couldn’t help it. Laughter spilled forth. Berenger was laughing. Ancel had to stop himself from staring. It was the first time he had seen Berenger laugh. 

“What?! This is no laughing matter?! The stench took forever to get out!” Ancel said with a huff as he looked upwards with distrust clearly written all over his face. Berenger clamped his mouth shut to stop another laugh from escaping. 

“Stop laughing and console me.” Ancel said with a pout. 

“I’m so sorry that the bird hurt you like that.” Berenger said with an amused quirk of his lips. He reached out and gently patted Ancel’s head. He reached back into the Bucket and handed another fish towards Ancel. He had to stop a chuckle from escaping as Ancel looked around with a distrustful gaze. There was no sign that a bird would swoop down and steal his food this time. Ancel snatched the fish and quickly put him in his mouth. His cheeks were round and only the tailfin stuck out of his closed mouth.

“Good boy.” Berenger praised as he patted Ancel’s head again. Ancel glared at him and Berenger couldn’t withhold the warm smile that spread across his face. Ancel ducked his head and silently ate his fish.

Ancel felt that it was a blessing that they were taking a trip because he had heard Berenger actually laugh. He felt almost giddy with the knowledge that he had managed to make the always stoic Berenger laugh. The trip had another big bonus, because of it he was able to avoid his lessons. No matter how much he tried to escape his lessons, Berenger always kept them on a strict schedule. The only reason that he had not completely lost it was thanks to the reward that awaited him. After each lesson, Berenger would spend at least half an hour combing and trailing his fingers through his hair. He would even participate in the awful reading lessons. 

Ancel could taste the salt in the air and had to stop himself from humming in contentment. There had been an incident where he had hummed as Berenger brushed his hair and one of the maids had entered the study. The poor girl had become completely drunk on her feet from the sound. Since then he had to keep a careful eye on whom was in his proximity once he started humming. But he could almost not stop himself from letting out notes of pleasure. It was the first time he was this close to the ocean. The first time since he had been caught that he would be able to swim in the salty wild sea. The touch to the top of his head startled him. Berenger was watching him with a smile as he gently caressed his head. Ancel beamed at him.

“Master, will I get a reward when I return?” Ancel purred with a smirk as he leaned closer into Berenger’s side. He was a solid presence, as steady as a rock. Even though the steady rock was currently feeling slightly seasick. 

“Anything you want.” Berenger said as his fingers trailed through Ancel’s hair. Ancel grinned. The sailor shouted that they had reached the spot where the boat had sunken. Ancel couldn’t wait to feel the oceans water on his skin. 

“Be careful.” Berenger said with stern expression. Ancel gave him a sloppy salute before he leaned over the edge and let himself fall into the welcoming waves of the ocean. The first touch of the saltwater felt like the most beautiful welcome home. It felt like he had never been gone from the seas embrace. Ancel felt a grin play across his lips as he closed his eyes. He slowly sank towards the bottom. The currents gently caressed his fin. No artificial pool felt like the embrace of the ocean. He came to a stop as his back lay on the sand. Slowly Ancel opened his eyes. The sun was breaking on the water’s surface displaying a stunning array of light among the watery blue. It shimmered in beautiful hues of gold and silver. He could see the tiny boat float on the surface. It looked so tiny from down here. He let his fingers trail through the sand. He turned around. The bottom of the ocean was just as he had remembered it. Not nearly as colourful as colours of his coral reef he had called home. It was like a different world in comparison to the land above. The water was clear as kelp gently swayed with the currents. Schools of bright fish swam by as little crabs scuttle across the sand floor. 

In the distance, he could make out the wreck of a ship. The wooden parts were already being reclaimed by the ocean world. Ancel swam closer with a few flips of his tail. He shivered in delight as one of the currents played with his hair. A part of him had returned that had been missing till that moment. The yearning he had felt was scattered like petals upon a river. The constant pull he had felt disappeared. His tail which was gorgeous no matter what shimmered in a much brighter colour in these waters. Ancel hummed in delight. Air bubbles rose. A sea turtle swam close by, its tiny nose nudging Ancel’s shoulder. He gently brushed the top of its head as he continued his swim. The ship before him had been a small merchant ship. A part of its hull was broken open and a curious fish poked its head out before disappearing inside the ship. Berenger had shown him the semantics of this kind of ship. He knew where the captain’s quarters were. He just needed to find them. He swam into the shipwreck. It was dark and gloomy, almost no light reached. Ancel felt a shiver travel down his spine, he hated dark enclosed spaces. The open hull at least did not make him feel as trapped. Broken wood lay scattered about. Most of it was being reclaimed by the ocean. The old wood creaked as the current brushed against its body. It was an eerie sound. Ancel swam over to one of the closed doors. The metal hinges were covered in a thick layer of rust. When he tried to open it the door did not budge. The round window of the door was broken and all Ancel could see was darkness. He pulled at the door handle and with a crack he was holding the door handle in his hand. The wood had splintered around it but the door remained shut. He would have to find another way inside. Ancel swam out of the ship again and to the other side where he suspected that the window for the room would be. The mast had broken off and was covering the side of the ship. Ancel gently touched the rotting wood. It was brittle beneath his fingers and there was already a small hole in the hull. Ancel picked up a rock from the ground surprising the tiny crab that had hidden behind it. He made a sound of apology before raising his hand. He smashed the rock into the wood. Wooden fragments splintered everywhere. Before they were gently floating away. Ancel grabbed a plank and ripped it from the hull. He winced as one of the wooden splinters pierced his finger. Blood spilled worth and mixed with the water. The hole he created was barely big enough so that he could swim through it. Inside, he could see broken bookshelves covered in barnacles that were slowly taking over every available surface. The desk had tilted over when the ship sank. The chair had already been broken to pieces. A broken picture frame lay scattered on the ground. Ancel swam towards the desk and pulled open the drawers. The insides were empty. The papers that had once been in there had disintegrated in the water. Still there was no sign of the small box he was supposed to look for. He swam over to the bookshelves and those as well had been emptied with the course of time. There was nothing on them, only an oldy rusted metal compass greeted him. In the corner there stood a small dresser. One of its drawers was open. Ancel slowly opened the other ones. In one of them he found the the box he was looking for. It was a small decorated box. The time in the salt water had broken down some of its fragile decorated metal flowers but it looked good. With a pleased smile Ancel swam out of the ship. A swarm of fish passed by as he slowly rose to the surface. He couldn't resist chasing them for a moment before lazily moving his tail to reach the surface. He broke the surface with a grin. Berenger’s face was the first thing that greeted him. 

“I got it.” Ancel said with a grin and he was rewarded with one of Berenger’s rare soft smiles. He held out the box and Berenger took it from his hands. He put the box aside before gently trailing his fingers through Ancel’s hair. 

“Good job,” The praise sent a trill of satisfaction through Ancel. 

“Pull me up!” Ancel said as he held up his arms. Berenger reached down and grabbed ahold of his upper arms. With a heave he pulled him up. But he had used too much momentum and now tumbled backwards. Ancel let out a sound of surprise. With a smash he landed on the deck, Ancel laying on top of him. Berenger grunted as Ancel slowly pushed himself up. His tail laid over Berenger’s leg and his hips were almost flush with Berenger’s. He looked down into to Berenger’s calm face. His hair was like a curtain keeping the world around them out. It was like they were in their own little bubble. 

“Ancel?” Berenger asked after a few breaths when Ancel made no inclination to move. He reached out and cupped Ancel’s cheek. Ancel leaned into the touch and let his eyes flutter shut for a heartbeat. When Berenger wanted to move his hand away Ancel grabbed his wrist and kept his hand where it was. He wanted more. Mermaids were creatures of sensuality and pleasure, he wanted more. If Berenger didn’t desire him he would make him desire him. No one could resist him. 

“I want my reward now,” Ancel whispered as he leaned closer to Berenger’s face. He could feel Berenger’s breath just touch his lips like the touch of a feather. 

“What do you want?” Berenger asked. Ancel could only see the confusion in Berenger's eyes because he was so close to him.

“Don’t move,” Ancel ordered has he trailed his hand down Berenger’s chest over his wet shirt. He slithered down Berenger’s body till his face was just above Berenger’s crotch. He started unlacing Berenger’s pants.

“What are you doing?” Berenger protested as he reached out and took a hold of Ancel’s shoulders. He tried to push him away but it was futile. He tried to sit up but a push from Ancel’s tailfin made him lay back down again. Ancel moved his tail so that his fins lay on Berenger’s chest to prevent him from getting up. 

“Ancel!” There was a warning note in Berenger’s voice. He chose to ignore it. He didn’t care for a possible punishment. He just wanted Berenger. Ancel grabbed hold of Berenger’s dick through his underpants and looked up towards Berenger's face with half-lidded eyes. 

“This is the reward I want,” Ancel said as he licked his lips. He licked a long wet stripe over Berenger’s clothed dick. Berenger let out a low grunt and Ancel felt a smirk pull at his lips. He freed Berenger’s dick from his undergarments and gently trailed along it with the tip of his fingernail.

“You do not have to …” Berenger didn’t finish his sentence as Ancel reached out with his arm. He gently laid his hand over Berenger's mouth.

“Hush, I want to.” Ancel whispered as he placed a kiss to the head of his dick. He slowly lifted his hand from Berenger’s mouth and wrapped it around the base of Berenger’s dick. It was not even at half mast yet. He would have to rectify that. He opened his mouth wide and just gently lay the tip of his dick on his tongue. All the while he kept eye contact with Berenger. He slowly closed his lips around it. His fingers slowly danced across the heated flesh till they wrapped around his balls. He started to gently massage them as he suckled at the dick in his mouth. He squirmed. His lower body was laying right over Berenger’s knees and with a movement of his hips his left knee rubbed right over where his soft scales hid his sexual organs.He moaned around the head in his mouth.   
He swirled his tongue around the head before slowly taking more and more into his mouth. His lips were dark red and saliva was pooling in his mouth. He pulled back again and with a pop the cock left his mouth. Spit connected his cherry red lips to Berenger’s cock. The tip of his tongue slowly started to lick from the base towards the tip. Gently, he dipped his tongue into the slit. Berenger let out a low moan and Ancel felt emboldened. He looked up towards Berenger and made eye contact before slowly taking his dick back inside his mouth. His hand enclosed around the base and lightly squeezed it. His other hand traveled lower and slowly started rubbing circles just behind his balls. He could feel the thighs beneath him tremble. Ancel started to lightly suck on his dick as he slowly moved up and down. He swirled his tongue around the dick a few times and gently scraped over the shaft with just a hint of his teeth. Berenger let out another noise of involuntary pleasure. Ancel shivered in pleasure at the sound. He slowly twitched his pelvis against Berenger's leg. It sent tingles of pleasure up his spine.

Ancel slowly let gravity do its work and let the dick slide into his throat. Berenger let out a sound of surprise. He took him into his throat. There was no gag reflex that was triggered. Saliva started dripping down from between his red lips and into the pubic hair. He stopped taking him down his throat as his nose got tickled by the dark puplic hair surrounding his base. Ancel took Berenger’s hand and placed it into his hair. He swallowed and let his throat spasm around Berenger’s dick. Berenger’s hand grabbed Ancel’s hair in reaction and let out a sound of pleasure. Ancel moaned at the sensation of someone tugging his hair. It felt good. His whole body felt like it was alight. The smallest of stimuli would topple him over the edge. He hummed around Berenger’s throat and the low groan he got in response was better than any aphrodisiac. He spasmed around his dick again and Berenger couldn’t stop the involuntary twitch of his hips. It caused Ancel to gag. He had to pull off and gasps for air. He was coughing. 

“Stop, Ancel.” Berenger said as he sat up and stopped Ancel from touching his dick again. There was a note of apology in his voice. 

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.” Ancel said as he tried to clear the precum from his throat. Berenger frowned. One of his former owners had loved to make him gag and struggle for air. This was nothing.

“You just caught me unprepared.” Ancel said as he leaned down to retake Berenger’s dick back into his mouth. Berenger’s hands on his face stopped him. He gently guided his head back up so that he was eye level with Berenger. 

“No, Ancel. I shouldn’t have let you do this.” Berenger said as his thumb gently rubbed along Ancel’s flushed cheeks. Ancel looked at Berenger in confusion. The pleasant flush was receding and coldness was left in its wake. Hadn’t Berenger been enjoying himself?

“What? Didn’t you enjoy it?” Ancel asked in confusion. He did not lean into Berenger’s touch. He was too confused to enjoy the tender gesture. Berenger put his dick back into his undergarments and fastened his pants. 

“I did but you do not need to do it again.” Berenger said as he gently brushed loose strands of hair out of Ancel’s face. He smiled at Ancel before turning around and picking up the ornate box from where it lay forgotten on the ground. Ancel stared after him blankly. 

He touched his reddened lips and clenched his fist. The last remnants of pleasure had been washed away and now only coldness remained. Ancel hugged himself. Berenger didn’t want his touch. He didn’t want Ancel to bring him pleasure. He didn’t want him. Ancel couldn’t understand it. Berenger had clearly been eager underneath his touch and yet he denied. He didn’t want Ancel to touch him again. There was one human whom he wanted to touch and be touched in return. Just that land dweller denied him? He felt sick. He was shaking.

He had endured so much unwanted touch over the years. Had hidden his feelings behind a mask of pleasure. He was good at pleasing others and yet Berenger didn’t want his attention. The one human whose touch he was craving didn’t want him. Ancel bit his lip and tried to stop the tears from gathering in his eyes. He had been rejected and it hurt. It hurt worse than any pain he had endured over the years in captivity. 

“Ancel?” Berenger had returned to his side and Ancel had to stop himself from flinching away from the light brush over his head. Berenger was watching him with worried eyes. Ancel avoided his eyes. That expression was one of the reasons that he had believed that his touch would be welcomed. Ancel snorted. He had only seen what he had wanted to see. Even the disappointment and hurt did not stop his need of being close to Berenger. He did not want to leave his side. The feeling of something being gently slid over his head made him look up. Berenger had put a golden necklace around his throat. Blue sapphires were enclosed in golden vines in between turquoise and emeralds. Ancel gently touched the stones.

“Thank you,” Berenger frowned at his subdued answer. Ancel loved jewelry and anything glimmering gold in the light but at this moment it felt cheap. The reward felt cold and detached. It was bittersweet. It was not the attention he wanted. It was not what he craved.


	5. Chapter 4

Berenger watched silently as the waves gently caressed the boats anchored in the harbour. No wind was ruffling the drawn sails. He could hear the rambunctious noise from the pub behind him. Drunk sailors shouting and singing between mouthfuls of ale and roaring laughter. The night was making way for the light of the day and they were still busy with their merry making. Berenger chose to ignore the content of the songs and stories. The slowly rising sun was reflected in the ocean’s water, it looked like the reflection of a polished mirror. The morning was eerily silent. There were no noises except for the pub. No wind moaning, no waves roaring. It made goosebumps rise on Berenger’s arms. Something felt off. It felt like danger was lurking beneath the still waters. He almost wanted to call it off, but they needed the information. He had already given Ancel to much time to adjust. They couldn’t wait anymore. Still, he didn’t want to send Ancel out there. A feeling in his gut told him that something could go wrong. The sound of a loud splash pulled him out of his thoughts. The reflection of the sun was broken by the shimmering emerald tail breaking the surface. 

Ancel was beautiful. It was not the first time he had thought so. He walked towards one of the more secluded piers. The first time he had seen Ancel in that large tank he had already been captivated. He was so unlike himself. He shone bright.

Ancel waited for him at the end of the pier. His hair was shimmering fire red. The morning sun gave it a soft glow. It made Berenger itch to reach out and touch the ruby hair. He knew how it felt beneath his fingers, like the finest silk and the softest spun wool. Ancel smiled at him from the water. It made him seem even more ethereal than he was usually. Berenger was used to beauty and seduction among the nobility and inside the royal palace. He was used to beautiful people. His Prince was among the most beautiful he had ever seen and yet he did not invoke the desire to touch and hold close. He wanted Ancel and it made him feel sick. He felt like all the other owners that had treated Ancel like a possession, like something they had a right to. He didn’t want that. Whenever Ancel tried to touch him, tried to seduce him it made him uncomfortable. It felt like Ancel was doing what was expected of him from his previous owners. Like he was playing a role he had to fulfill. Like his touch and the offer of his body was an obligation. He should have stopped Ancel when his lips had been around his dick. He shouldn't have let it happen. Since then Ancel had been almost withdrawn. Not even jewels and glimmering gold could return the spark into Ancel’s smile. He was worried and he didn’t know how to fix it. 

“Berenger,” Ancel called out pulling Berenger out of his thoughts. He kneeled down so that he was more at eye level with Ancel as they talked. 

“You don’t have to do it today.” Berenger said as he wore a worried frown. The bad feeling had still not gone away. Ancel frowned in response.

“Are you worrying about me?” Ancel asked with a playful smirk. 

“Of course, I worry.” Berenger admitted with a sigh. The playful smird transformed into a soft smile and Ancel reached out and gently cupped Berenger’s cheek. 

“The evidence you’re retrieving is important and I fear that something will go wrong. That something is waiting beneath the ocean.” Berenger said as he clenched and unclenched his fist. Ancel scoffed. 

“There is nothing dangerous. I will be in and out faster than you expect.” Ancel said with an eye roll. Berenger did not look appeased. Ancel sighed and gently rubbed his thumb along the soft skin of Berenger’s cheek. He could feel the beginning of a stubble beneath his fingers.

“I am a merman the ocean is my home, stop worrying. You worrywart.” Ancel said with a grin. He reached forward and before Berenger could react Ancel had pulled him forward and planted a kiss onto his lips. With one last playful smile in Berenger’s direction he dove beneath the ocean’s surface.

Ancel touched his lips and a small thrilled smile graced his lips as he dove deeper. The ocean shimmered in colours of gold and red as the sun slowly rose. It tinged it in beautiful colours and Ancel felt almost bewitched by the play of colours surrounding him. Colourful fish swam past him. He needed to swim further out. The feel of the ocean water caressing his skin made him smile. With his speed it didn’t take him long to reach the part where the ocean got deeper and the water darker. A human would have never been able to keep up with him. 

He started diving deeper and yet the water remained bright as the the sunlight broke through the surface. He could see the shipwreck behind a large reef stone. The ship has only sunk a few months ago and already it was starting to become overgrown. Kelp and some corals had started to grow on the wood. Barnacles covered the surfaces. The metal parts were covered in rust. The ship was neatly split in half. The sight gave him a pause. Something had sunk this ship with enough force that is was split in half. It caused a shiver to travel up Ancel’s spine. A sea turtle swam past him. Its green shell shimmering in the light. It gazed ahead as if it hadn’t even noticed Ancel. The closer Ancel got to the ship the more he felt weary. Something was wrong. A stingray swam past him and again its gaze was empty. Ancel slowly swam closer to the ship. It looked normal enough. There was no predator in sight and there was no scent of copper spreading throughout the water. 

Berenger had told him in detail where he would find what he was looking for. It was another ornate box. Sealed water tight, hidden in a secret compartment that required a code. Ancel had received the code for the lock from Berenger. His worried expression had sent warmth through Ancel and at the same time he had felt sadness as he remembered that Berenger didn’t want him. Ancel shook his head now was not the time to think about that. He slowly swam around the broken half. The edges were cleanly broken and Ancel did not want to speculate what could cause such an extensive amount of damage. The inside of the ship was silent. He could not hear the sound of the waves, nor the sound of the currents nor the sound of the fish and marine life moving through the water. Ancel slowly pushed open the door to the captain’s quarters. Light spilled in from the open door way, otherwise the room was bathed in darkness. Ancel could see the place he needed to look for. He swam inside and slowly rolled one side of the moldy carpet up. He touched one of the floorboards. It was loose. He pulled it up and let go with a small yelp of pain. Blood was slowly spilling out of his finger. He had gotten a splinter. He gently sucked the blood away. He did not want to attract predators with the scent of his blood spreading through the water. When he was sure that the bleeding stopped he leaned back down and he pulled the plank clean off. Beneath was a small box that looked like a safe had been built in with the ship. Ancel moved the lock through the correct number combination. With a muted click the door unlocked. Air bubbled rose to the surface and Ancel pulled the ornate box out. There was another lock sealing the box airtight. The key was in Berenger’s hand. Ancel turned around back towards the door he had opened to enter the captain’s quarters. It had slowly been closing as he had searched for the evidence. 

He froze at the sight that greeted him. A mountain of white had been hidden behind the open door. Bones. The floor was littered in bones. Ancel’s hand trembled around the box. Bones of fish lay scattered about the wooden floor. Human bones lay in between. A skull tumbled down and rolled onto the floor. Empty eye sockets stared at him. All the bones were a sparkling white. He could see the teeth marks on them. Something had gnawed them clean. Ancel felt dread slowly close its claws around his heart. Something was down here. Something that had eaten the flesh cleanly off these bones. He could make out the bones of a mermaid tail. For a moment he was back inside that dark room with only the rotting mermaid corpse for company. He could almost smell the scent of death and rot. It made Ancel feel sick. He clutched his mouth as he repressed the urge to retch. He needed to get out of here. Whatever was lurking here would eat him whole and only leave behind his remains. Fear made its way up his spine. He needed to leave now. With a powerful move of his tail he propelled himself towards the door. He hastily swam outside. His breath stuttered at the sight that greeted him.

The plants and all the fish that he had seen as he had gotten closer to the ship had disappeared. It was as if they had never been there in the first place. Like it had been nothing more than an illusion. The golden sand had turned into greyish colour. The ship was blackened and more skeletons littered the floor. A murky fog surrounded the water around the ship and the scent of blood and sickness was thick in the water. Ancel could taste it on his tongue. Something dark and powerful was hiding here and he had trespassed into its home. There were no fish around the area. No plants that grew towards the sunlight. There was nothing that seemed alive within the radius of the ship. Like every living thing knew to avoid this ship wreck. Air bubbles rose from within an opening of the wreck. They seemed to not only hold air. They were tainted by a garish green colour. Ancel pressed a hand over his mouth as one of them passed by him. Ancel started to speed up. He needed to get away. He did not want to end up as this monsters dinner. He did not want Berenger to wait for him only for him to not return. Ancel would have snorted had he not been so driven to swim away. Even now he was thinking of Berenger. He did not want leave him. The realization made his heart stutter for a moment. He was almost out of the grey fog. Just as he was about to clear it something stopped him. He couldn't move his tail. Something was wrapped around the end of his tail.

Ancel felt panic grip at his heart as he looked down his tail. A black thick tentacle had wrapped around it. Its touch felt cold and slimy. Ancel tried to frantically move his tail but it was no use, the tentacle’s grip was relentless. He thrashed as he tried to free himself. The tentacle did not release its hold of him. The place where the suckers had latched onto were slowly growing numb.

“Let go!” Ancel cursed as fear made adrenaline rush through his veins. He dropped the box. He reached out and tried to pull the tentacle off with his hands. He managed to make the tentacle loosen its hold. Ancels muscles strained in protest as he released a breath of air bubbles. He managed to get it off so far that he could see the imprints of the suckers on his tail before something shot out of the mist. A second tentacle had moved towards him at lightning speed. Before he could react it wrapped around his right wrist. Ancel tried to pull himself free. The tentacle around his tail wrapped impossibly tighter as the smaller tentacle wrapped around his wrist. Ancel fought their hold, no matter how much he trashed they would not release him. Instead it tired him out. It made him pant. The numbness was slowly spreading. It was paralyzing him. The tentacles slowly started to pull him back towards the ship. 

Ancel opened his mouth and screamed. His voice was his most powerful weapon. Sand swirled up and waves rose and fell on the surface as his voice rose in a song of power. With his voice the currents rose and battered against the tentacles holding him. He sung and the ocean answered his call. Beneath the layer of power commanding his currents to do to his bidding another more subdued melody played. A melody of release and freedom. The tentacles slowly slackened. Ancel managed to free his hand off the tentacle. He opened his mouth further to reach a note high enough to finally free himself.

Before the final tone rang across the ocean floor another black shadow shot forward and the song ended before it reached its crescendo. Another tentacle had risen from the fog. It had laid in wait and moved in as soon as he opened his mouth. Before Ancel could stop it it had pushed itself into his mouth. Ancel froze for a split second before he began struggling. He tried to pull it out but it wouldn’t budge. No matter how hard he pulled the tentacle moved further into his mouth instead. Tears sprung into his eyes as it pushed itself down his throat. It hurt. It obstructed his airways. Ancel had thought he knew what it felt to take something down his throat that did not belong. The tentacle just forced itself further down. Ancel used his blunt nails to scratch the tentacle in an effort to force it into releasing him. Instead it pushed forward. The tentacle around his tail tightened and slowly started to pull him towards the ship again. Ancel tried to fight against it, but his body was starting to lose. He feebly tried to pull at the tentacle again. He could barely breathe. He felt even more fear spike as the tentacle in his mouth started to glow with an eerie golden light that pulsed along the slick tentacle. He thrashed with his tail. Suddenly, pain laced through his body. His scream of pain was muffled. It felt like a thousand needles were piercing him from the inside out. His lungs burned in pain. His throat felt like it was on fire. It felt like it was scraped raw and lit on fire. He spasmed and his body convulsed as the tentacle suddenly retreated out of his mouth. Ancel retched and coughed. It hurt so badly. He hated pain. He opened his mouth to sing again, but no sound passed his lips. No song resounded across the ocean floor in his clear voice. Not even a single note rose. He could make no sound. His voice was gone. 

The tentacle pulled him into the darkness of the ship’s hull. More tentacles wrapped around his arms, restraining his movements. No matter how little the chance of escape was, Ancel continued to struggle. He was exhausted and in pain and still he fought against the hold the tentacles had on him. He didn’t want to be eaten. He didn’t want to die. Berenger was waiting for him. Thinking of Berenger hurt. He wanted his fingers to trail through his hair, he wanted to see his soft smile and feel his rough thumb gently brush along his cheek. He didn’t want this slimy thing’s touch to be the last thing he felt and he saw. 

The inside of the ship was bathed in darkness. The little light that reached through the cracks only illuminated bones and a lump of flesh covered with bite marks. Ancel clenched his eyes shut. He did not want to die in darkness. He imagined his home. The tank, Berenger’s study, the maids and butlers bustling about, the view out onto the grassland, the sight and sound of running horses and Berenger’s face smiling softly at him. He wondered if Berenger would be sad if he learned about his passing. He hoped that he would no think that he had run away. 

The sound of distorted laughter rose in the darkness. It was a mad cackle filled with glee. The sound made goosebumps rise all along his arms. It sent a shiver of fear down his spine. The feeling of teeth grazing his arms made him flinch and he tried to back away. He was terrified. His eyes were wide open, trying and failing to see in the dark. He was trembling. 

He could feel fingers grasp his chin and force his head up. He stared right into eerie red eyes. They glowed in the dark and they were emitting the most sinister light he had ever encountered. The eyes were sunken into a caunt grey face. A mouth full of razor sharp teeth grinned at him. The room lit up in a greenish glow as two tentacles started to glow. Ancel trembled in fear of remembered pain. Tentacles filled the room the rolled over each other pulsing with some unknown power. A split tongue peeked out between colourless lips to lick blood from black claws.

“Well, well. What do we have here?” The being rumbled in a voice that sounded like a thousand echos. It made his head ring. 

“Such a lovely little snack.” It purred as it tilted Ancel’s head this way and that way. The rough fingers would leave bruises on his skin. The tips of its claws cut open his check and a drop of blood flowed out. The beast’s nostrils flared and it licked its lips as it watched the blood slowly spread in the water. Ancel was trembling but he could not move, he could not scream for help. He was completely trapped. 

“I haven’t had such a lovely little mermaid snack deliver itself into my dwelling in such a long time.” It looked at Ancel with unrestrained hunger. 

“Oh dear, you dropped what you came for. Your beloved will be so disappointed.” It smirked as the claw graced along Ancel’s cheek. Ancel glared at the creature. How dare it mention Berenger.

“So protective when you can’t even do anything.” It giggled and tentacle wrapped around his throat. More of the poison entered his system. His body was growing numb. He couldn’t move.

“Alas, I would love to eat you, but I have to keep my end of the bargain.” It sighed with a melodramatic gesture. 

“I wonder how your dear Berenger would look when you are the one to kill him.” As it said those words its voice slowly transformed into Ancel’s voice. The tentacles dropped him and Ancel stared wide eyed into his own smirking face. 

“Oh don’t look so surprised. I just took your voice and saw your memories. Your Berenger would surely taste as lovely as you do.” It licked his lips. It held out one of its hands and in it a glowing orb of light shimmered. The orb hummed a melody. It was his voice. Ancel realized what the being was. 

It was a sea witch. A being he had only heard stories about. Something dark and sinister that lived on pain and blood. Ancel watched horrified as it detangled its now red hair. It opened its mouth and a lovely melody rung around the room. A look of satisfaction stole itself unto the fake Ancel’s face. Fear gripped Ancel’s heart. It would kill Berenger. He could see his betrayed expression. It made pain blossom inside his heart. He glared at it with all the force he could muster. 

“Poor dear, I will end your suffering as soon as I am back. I haven’t eaten human flesh in so long.” It grinned and swam out of the room. The door closed behind it with a bang. Ancel was once again left in darkness. Blood, bones and the stench of rotting flesh surrounding him. He whimpered and clenched his eyes shut. He wished it was all just a nightmare.


	6. Chapter 5

His tail fin twitched as he tried to move it. He tried to move his fingers and they only twitched feebly. He gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut. He had to try. He was still alive. Berenger was in danger. He could save him. It was not too late. It might only end in doom but he had to try. If he didn’t think about escape, if he didn’t cling onto hope he would despair in this room filled with his worst nightmare. The memory of being locked into that room with the rotting mermaid corpse. What he had to do not to die like she had. Ancel felt bile rise. He coughed and had to retch. The taste in his mouth was disgusting. The stench was disgusting. 

The smell of death and decay was sweltering in the air. He could taste it on his tongue. He had to clench his eyes shut. He was not back inside that cell like room. He needed to keep it together. His body was shaking. Tremors were wracking his body. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t move. He was paralyzed, unable to escape and unable to help. His limbs were heavy and uncooperative. They twitched feebly when he tried to will them to move even the smallest amount. No matter how much he forced his muscles they only trembled in futile exhaustion. The only thing he could still move was his head and even that happened as if in slow motion. He was completely helpless. At the mercy of a Sea Witch. Unable to save the one human being he had started to call precious. He could see Berenger’s calm expression in front of him. He opened his mouth and panted. Trying to filter out as much oxygen out of the water as he needed. He tried to keep his focus on Berenger. He remembered his touch, his voice and how he had smiled at him. How it had felt to be praised by him and how it felt to be called beautiful by him. It made a smile curl across his lips. Warmth pulsed through him and he felt his heart skip a beat as he realized what it meant. He loved him.

He couldn't help the hysterical giggle that spilled forth. Of course he realized that when he was awaiting his death. Always too late. He lay giggling in the dark surrounded by bones and rotting flesh. The giggling tapered off and he bit his lip in frustration. If only he had realized it earlier. He would have savoured the moments they had together even more. He would have remembered exactly how Berenger’s touch felt. Tears gathered in his eyes as he imagined what he could no longer have. He wondered why had he fallen in love with such a boring person and how he had not even noticed it. Why had he only realized this now? It was the reason why he wanted Berenger’s attention to be focused on him. Why he had wanted so badly for him to just touch him. To just feel him. He wanted to be with Berenger. He wanted to be by his side. It hurt to be so far away from him. It hurt even more when he realized that he might really lose Berenger to the claws of death. Ancel bit his lip in frustration. If only he could move, if only he still had his voice. A soundless noise of frustration left his lips. He could feel the tears gather in his eyes. The ocean’s gentle touch would make it seem as if they never existed. He felt the golden necklace lay across his throat. It felt like he had a piece of Berenger with him. He forced his tears back and took a lungful of water. His eyes closed as he blocked out the gruesome place that surrounded him. Instead he focused on his fingers and they twitched. He willed them to move. He was a mythical creature of the ocean. Some paralytic poison would not stop him. 

Move, Move, bloody MOVE! Ancel screamed inside his head. His hand enclosed into a fist. It was shaking badly, but it had still moved. Ancel clenched his teeth and willed his tail to slowly move. His whole body was shaking with the effort. His muscles straining against the spasm the poison caused. He gritted his teeth. He would not stop till he was out of here. Berenger needed him. He could not die. Ancel snarled without sound and with a woosh he was upright. His tail shook and he was unbalanced but he was no longer laying on the floor like a stone dropped to the bottom of the ocean. His swimming was uncoordinated and he tilted sideways. He crashed back into the ground. He could feel something slimy clinging to his scales. He did not care. He didn’t look and just rightened himself again. With tremendous effort he reached the door. Only to find that it was barred. He would not be able to leave through it. Ancel gasped as renewed panic hit him. He was trapped. He took a large gulp of oxygen-rich water before releasing a deep sigh. With it he tried to shake the tension out of his panic driven muscles. He needed to find another way out. 

Ancel looked around the room. His eyes had slowly adjusted to the darkness. He averted his eyes from the carnage that riddled the floor. He did not want to throw up again. He did not want to feel renewed panic crawl up his spine. There were a few places where scattered light shone through. They were so few that he had not noticed them before. Slowly, he swam over. He was uncoordinated and tilted from side to side as he swam. He could hardly use his arms to balance out his wonky swimming. It took him forever to reach the scattered lights. He reached out and started to feel along the planks near the crack. He could feel a protrusion in the wood and he felt hope soar. His hands were shaking as grabbed the edge and started to pull. It creaked ominously but didn’t budge. He gritted his teeth and pulled harder. With a muted creak it broke off. The sharp edge was cutting into his hand. Blood spread through the water. He grabbed the still attached plank and pulled. He ignored the burn from his wound. The fresh scent of blood spread out. With another crack another part of the plank broke of. The opening would not even allow his head to fit through. Ancel gritted his teeth it would take forever to break each plank off. He silently apologized before grabbing a polished white bone. It was the bone of an upper human leg. He swung it and let it crash into the wood. An ominous creak resounded and Ancel raised the bone again. The first hit had been too weak. His arms were still shaking. He ignored the tremors and swung the bone with all the force he could muster. Wood splintered everywhere as the plank broke. The splinters cut him. Blood poured out along his arms. He didn’t stop. The Pain from his wounds was nothing more than a distraction. A distraction he ignored. Even with blood in the air, he just continued to bash into the wall when the bone in his hands made a sound as if it was breaking. The bone slowly sank down towards the ocean floor. He reached out and pulled the planks apart with his hands. He smeared blood everywhere. The opening was barely big enough to fit the width of his shoulders. He didn’t have more time. Berenger’s time was running out. He feared that the sea witch would have already reached him. His whole body was thrumming with anger at the thought of that vile being touching even a hair on Berenger’s body. His heart hurt as fear rose within it. He could not let Berenger die. 

He swam forward. He felt pain blossom down from his shoulders along his arms. The taste of blood spread. The edges of the opening were cutting through his skin. He ignored the gashes that were cut into his shoulders and arms. It burned, but the pain would not stop him. His hips got stuck. The widest part of his tail did not fit through the opening. A snarl of rage left his lips and he forcefully pushed himself through the opening. Pain flared up along the sides of his tail. Blood was smeared along his scales. His tail was scratched and bleeding in places. Broken pieces of emerald and gold scales littered the ground. He lost a few of his shimmering scales. Usually, he hated losing any of them but now he didn’t care. The only thing on his mind was getting to Berenger. Yet he was exhausted, his body was screaming in protest. The adrenalin was running out. Ancel gritted his teeth. He needed to swim a fair distance till he would reach the harbour. By that time it would most likely be to late. He could not let that happen. He was a child of the ocean. Even without his voice. He was blessed by the salty waves and the stormy currents. His eyes shimmered brightly for a moment. He felt a current brush along his tail as he swam. It boosted him and let him reserve some of his strength. The closer he got to the harbour the unrulier the ocean became. He swam through currents that wanted to rip him into a different direction. His muscles strained under the effort. If he took even a moment to rest it could be too late. If he were to stop for even a moment he would be unable to continue swimming. He was fuelled by the last remaining pieces of adrenalin and his determination. His determination that he would not allow Berenger to become the sea witch's breakfast. The ocean seemed enraged as its currents rushed along beneath the surface. Towering waves rose and fell on the surface. Dark clouds had started to cover the morning sun. Heavy rain was pelting down from above. Ancel could just barely see the harbour in the distance. He was almost there. With a powerful slap of his tail he shot forward. 

Berenger had watched silently as dark clouds gathered. He could hear thunder roar in the distance. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky for a moment. It made him feel uneasy. The bad feeling had started to get stronger instead of lessening. Something was wrong. He should not have let Ancel swim out today. He feared that something had happened to him. It was a feeling that he couldn't shake. He clenched and unclenched his fist. He was staring blankly at his book, yet he absorbed none of the words. There was still no sight of Ancel among the turbulent sea no matter how much he hoped to catch a glimpse of red. With a frustrated sigh he let his head fall backwards onto the head rest. 

He wanted Ancel next to him even if his tail would make the space of the carriage feel unnaturally cramped, but he would be here. He could touch him and see that playful smile as it was directed towards him. If it was according to his wishes he wanted Ancel next to him always. His heart hurt because he was not here. There was no flirty banter from reddish lips. No cheerful voice soaked with a touch of a siren’s song nor a condensing jab at his clothing choice. One of these days he would have to wear something in another colour just to see Ancel’s expression. His lip tilted up in amusement. 

“Any sight of him yet?” Berenger asked the attendant that was standing outside. He had ushered him inside when it started raining. None of his workers wanted their Lord to become drenched to the bones.

“No, we have not seen him yet. Sir.” The voice said from outside the carriage said. The sound was muffled by the sound of the rain beating down on the carriage. Berenger caressed the spine of his book. It was a collection of fairy tales, most of them about mermaids. It was a silly little book but Berenger bought it nonetheless. He had smiled without thought as he had browsed the pages. Once Ancel could read enough he wanted to give it to him. He hoped he would find amusement in the stories. Most of the stories were probably lies and build on false believes. He could already see Ancel’s indignant expression in front of him. 

“Sir, I just saw a green tail.” The attendant said as he knocked on the carriage door. Berenger straightened and pulled on his raincoat. He pushed the door open. He ignored the protest of his attendant that he should remain inside and he would fetch him. If he had to go outside he could at least carry an umbrella.

“I am going to get wet anyways.” Berenger declined. He stepped into the rain for just a moment and he was immediately drenched. The water seeped through his clothes as if they were not there at all. Like thousands little needles the rain fell on him. Berenger raised his head and let the rain caress his face. He hoped the news that Ancel was returning would wash away the anxiety that had been crawling up his spine. Yet the feeling was still there and not even the freezing rain could numb the feeling of wrongness. Berenger started moving along the cobblestone street towards the peer. The houses were lit with candle light and not a single soul was outside their warm home. Berenger could see a wisp of red hair among the turbulent waves. He hastened his steps. The wooden pier creaked beneath his boots as he stepped on it. He stood at the end of the pier and looked out towards the ocean. A green tail fin broke the surface before disappearing beneath the ocean. Berenger felt his shoulders drop. Some of the tension leaked out of his shoulders. Ancel was almost back by his side. 

Next to the pier Ancel broke the surface of the water. His red hair clung to his face. He was flushed from exertion and his lips were pulled into a playful grin. 

“You’re late.” Berenger said as his eyes swept over Ancel. There seemed to be no visible injury, but still the knot of worry in his belly did not lessen. 

“Awww, where you worried?” Ancel said with a playful tilt of his head.

“Of course I was.” Berenger said plainly. He could not hide that he had been worried.

“There was no need.” Ancel said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He put a small ornate box on the pier and grinned up and Berenger.

“Your evidence.” Ancel smiled. 

“Thank you and you did a wonderful job.” Berenger kneeled down and gently trailed his fingers through Ancel’s hair. He closed his eyes in contentment. 

“Of course I did.” Ancel reached out his arms in a clear sign that he wanted to be picked up. Berenger reached down and pulled him up. Even with Ancel in his arms his knot of worry did not lessen. Ancel burrowed his face in his shoulder and Berenger gently trailed his hand down Ancel’s arm, he felt his soft unblemished skin beneath his rough fingertips. Ancel was cold so much colder than usual. It made alarm bells ring in his head. 

Ancel was always warm. He hated the cold. Even when he was wet from cold ocean water Ancel had been warm. He had never been this cold. He would already be complaining that he was freezing. He looked and sounded like Ancel. Berenger reached out towards his right hand. Ancel made a curious noise. It was so cold but there was no little scabbard on his hand from the last dive. The wound was gone as if it had never existed at all. Berenger took a deep breath. He could feel pinpricks of something that was sharper than Ancel’s nails where his other hand held onto him. It felt like the tips of claws. He could feel lips curl into a smirk along his collarbone as cold breath hit his skin. 

Ancel leaned back and smiled softly at him. His hand reached out and he touched his cheek with one of those cold hands. It sent a shiver down his spine. Ancel leaned forward as if to kiss him on the mouth. Berenger turned his head away so that the kiss landed on his cheek. Even his breath was cold. Berenger turned around and looked directly into emerald eyes. Only, now that he noticed he could see the tint of red in the sea of green. He opened his mouth and the words spilled forth before he could hold them back: 

“You’re not Ancel.”


	7. Chapter 6

“Oh? How did you figure it out?” The being in his arms purred. It sent a shiver down his spine. He sounded so like Ancel and yet he was not. He could feel fingers trail along the back of his neck. It felt like the end of a sharp blade was hanging over his neck. 

“You’re cold.” Berenger stated plainly. 

“Ah, I knew I forgot something.” It purred as it scrapped its nails along Berenger’s skin. 

“Where is Ancel?” Berenger blurted out. He couldn’t withhold the question even though he know that he would most likely not receive and answer. Even if he did get an answer the likelihood of it being a positive one was highly unlikely. 

“Worried about your little pet?” It cooed as it leaned closer to Berenger's face. Berenger resisted the urge to flinch backwards. Berenger clenched his teeth. Ancel was not a pet.

“So easily riled up.” It purred as its fingers gripped his shoulders. The claws he could not see were piercing his skin. It felt like someone took small daggers and plunged them into his shoulder. His face remained impassive even with the pain. 

“Your blood smells delicious.” The words were underlined by the clearly seen hunger in it’s eyes. Berenger felt cold dread crawl down his spine. He didn’t want to think about what it could have done to Ancel. He did not want to imagine. Ancel was fine. If he thought anything else he would not be able to bear it. 

“Such a pity.” It sighed as one of its nails scrabbed along his jaw. A shiver of disgust traveled along Berenger’s spine. He didn’t want this thing to be touching him. 

“Too bad I cannot eat you yet.” Disappointment was clearly reflected in its words. Its fingers wrapped around Berenger’s throat.

“I made a deal. Take me to the one you serve.” It purred and Berenger froze. A flash of golden hair entered his mind. This thing was after Prince Laurent. Berenger felt that the cold blade of the dagger hidden in his boot was a comfort. He just needed to reach it. Berenger took a step. Inside the carriage he might get a chance. Even if he died he could not let it reach prince Laurent. He was their last hope. The Kingdom would fall. Ruined by a man so hungry for power he sucked the nation dry. He was sitting on his throne lined with children's bones. Prince Laurent was the only one that could save their home. This Kingdom could flourish, but not with the regent in power. The evidence they needed to topple him was in this little box. They were so close. Almost.

“He asked me to watch the ship to make sure no one could find what he himself could not find. Such a cautious man, your Regent.” It said as Berenger slowly carried it towards the carriage. Berenger faltered in his steps for just a moment. This being had been left behind as a watchdog by the regent and he had led Ancel directly into the trap. The likelihood of Ancel still being alive was slowly sinking and with it his heart. Blackness enveloped his vision for a moment. His veins felt as if they were slowly being filled with the black tar of despair. He had to keep moving. He had to keep this kingdom safe. He would make sure that this threat would not swallow up their hope. Prince Laurent would not be touched by this monster. If he died then so be it. Maybe he could trail his fingers through Ancel’s hair and see the smile he adored so much in the afterlife.

He placed the fake Ancel in the carriage. He sent a subtle wave towards his attendant. He hoped that he understood. He didn’t want one of his men to be killed. He closed his eyes for a moment. Took a deep breath. A smile, as teasing as it was beautiful, surrounded by fiery waves, filled his mind before he stepped into the carriage. The place that could become his grave. 

Ancel could see the harbour. He was almost there. With gritted teeth he redoubled his effort. He wanted to scream and shout the warning, but no sound left his lips. In the distance he could see Berenger placing the fake Ancel in the carriage. He was holding the fake Ancel in his arms. Hot anger rushed along Ancel’s veins. The sight ignited his hatred. How dare this imposter be held in Berenger’s arms. That was his spot only. He forced himself to swim even faster. The carriage door was slammed shut just as Ancel reached the pier. The attendant on top of the carriage raised his whip. Slowly, the carriage started to move. Ancel could not reach them. He could never followed them on land. Panic gripped his heart. There must be a way for him to stop the carriage. To stop the fake from taking Berenger out of his reach. He looked around hoping to find something that could help him. Near the water’s edge he could see barrels stacked on top of each other. The carriage was slowly making its way towards them. It was his only chance. 

He pushed himself away from the pier. He used the momentum to topple himself further forward. His tail slapped the surface of the water. Water sprayed everywhere. He reached the barrels just as the horses started to slowly trot. The barrels were standing at the edge of the water. His arms did not have enough power to push the heavy barrels. So Ancel dove back into the water. He jumped out of the water and used his tail to hit the barrels with full force. They toppled over and rolled out onto the street just as the carriage was passing by. Ancel could hear the loud neighing of the horses and he hoped that none of Berenger’s beloved horses had gotten hurt with the maneuver. He swam sideways from the still standing barrels just in time to see the carriage topple sideways. The attendant had jumped off. It happened as if in slow motion. While it tilted sideways the door burst open and Berenger rolled out of the carriage. In his hands he was holding a bloody dagger. The carriage came down with a sickening crunch. Berenger had managed to roll out of the way in the last possible moment. He was panting as he sat there crouching. Ancel raised his tail and let it loudly fall onto the water's surface to catch Berenger’s attention. 

“Ancel!” Berenger’s expression was one of pure relief. He turned his back towards the carriage and rushed over to his side. 

“You’re hurt.” Berenger exclaimed as his hands gently cupped his face. His thumb rubbed soothing circles into his skin. The distressed expression on his face made warmth unfurl in the pit of Ancel’s stomach. To see the open worry was a balm for his wounds. He nuzzled into Berenger’s touch. 

Ancel couldn’t help but reach out and trail his own fingers along his neck. There was no visible wound on him and Ancel opened his mouth as if to tease him but no sound came out.

“Ancel?” Berenger asked as a worried frown marred his features. His fingers trailed along Ancel’s shoulders. They came back sticky with blood. Ancel pointed at his throat and shook his head.

“Your voice is gone?” Berenger asked. Ancel nodded. 

“How?” At Berenger’s question Ancel simply pointed into the direction of the fallen carriage. The attendant had long grabbed the horses and had taken them a safe distance away.  
The sound of singing suddenly filled the air. A melody was woven in the air. Its tune beckoned one forward. Ancel frowned at the sound of his own voice. He could see doors and windows open along the harbour as people spilled forth compelled by his stolen voice. The door of the fallen carriage burst open and a mass of black tentacles spilled forth. One tentacle after another slowly slithered out the door. They were dripping with a greenish liquid and Ancel shuddered at the memory of being paralyzed. He tugged at Berenger’s clothes while pointing at the tentacles. He was shaking his head. Berenger should not touch those. The tentacles rose towards the sky. A mass of moving black. One of the tentacles shot towards Berenger who side stepped it. It slowly retreated back towards its source. Arms appeared from within the withering mass. The sea witch was pulling himself up. The sound of mad laughter filled the are. It sounded so distorted in Ancel’s voice. As if it was not made for such a sound. 

Around its neck a glowing orb of light hung. It was his voice. Ancel pulled at Berenger’s clothes again and tried to signal him that what was hanging around the sea witch’s neck was his. It was his voice and it did not belong to this monster. Berenger tightened his grip on the dagger.

“My, My it’s been a long while since a mere human has injured me.” It cackled as it trailed its fingers along a bleeding cut at it’s throat. Berenger and Ancel went tense waiting for a strike.

“You won’t be doing that again.” It purred as all of its tentacles shot forwards towards Berenger and Ancel. Ancel grabbed a hold of Berenger’s legs and pulled Berenger backwards into the ocean with him. The tentacles shot overneath them. Ancel held onto Berenger tightly before pulling him towards the pier. Berenger climbed back on land. He steadied himself and got back on his feet. His dagger was still tightly clutched in his hand. 

Its tentacles were not long enough to reach Berenger from the crashed carriage. So it had to move towards them. It was what they wanted. They needed to get it way from the people. Who knew when it would use Ancel’s voice again and command the people to do as it bid. Ancel’s voice was powerful and something to fear in the wrong hands. 

Another tentacle shot out. This time Berenger was too late to avoid and it wrapped around his wrist yet before it could drag him of. Berenger swung his blade. Blood spurted as the tentacle was cut off. A howl of rage echoed.

“You should not have done that!” It hissed as it slithered forward. Berenger had reached the edge of the pier only the ocean was behind him. Ancel was right behind him watching with a worried frown. 

Before Berenger could react another tentacle shot out. It missed him, but it had caught is target. The tentacle was tightly wrapped around Ancel’s throat. He struggled as he tried to free himself from the tentacle.

“Ancel!” Berenger was reaching for him. The tentacle raised him up slowly. His airways were slowly being clenched shut. In vain he tried to pull the tentacle off of his throat. His nails scratched along it but its hold didn’t soften. He was slowly raised above ground. He trashed wildy. His tail was erratically trying to hit the tentacle. He was becoming light-headed.

“Let him go,” Berenger said with a glare as he threw his dagger towards the madly grinning face in front of him. 

“If you want to save him so badly come and get him.” It smirked at him with a mouth full of sharp teeth. Before it toppled itself over the edge and disappeared beneath the ocean. Ancel reached a hand out towards Berenger. Panic was clearly written in every line of his body. Their fingertips brushed before he was pulled under. 

With a clatter the dagger fell onto the wooden pier. Berenger rushed towards one of the many fishing boats. He grabbed ahold of one of the harpoons. This would have to do. He had no time. Ancel had no time. He needed to do something right now. He pulled off his boots. There was no time to unlace his jacket. He pulled at it till the buttons popped and fabric ripped. His wet jacket landed unceremoniously on the ground. He took a deep breath before diving into the ocean. 

It took his eyes a moment to adjust. The water was dark and he could just make out a mass of tentacles in the distance. He dove downwards. He had no time to lose. No air to spare.   
The closer he got the clearer he could see. It was holding Ancel up with its tentacles as its fingers scraped along Ancel’s bare chest. There was no longer a tentacle wrapped around his throat. Ancel had a rising look of disgust on his face. The sea witch turned and Berenger could see the glint of the globe that held Ancel’s voice. Ancel saw him from the corner of his eye. He was shaking his head. Berenger raised his harpoon. With all the strength he could muster he threw it. 

Ancel felt a shudder of disgust as the sea witches tongue trailed along the wound of his arm. He glared at it and tried to squirm away, but the tentacles held him firmly in place. There was no way he could get himself out of the tight hold the tentacles had on him. There was no paralytic poison coating the suckers of the tentacles. Maybe the sea witch was assured of its victory. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Berenger swim closer. There was no way that Berenger would be able to defeat the sea witch in its element. In the ocean, a mere human was powerless. Berenger needed to leave. He needed to escape. There was no reason for him to die to the sea witch as well. No reason at all. He wanted him to live so he shook his head, hoping to convey with his eyes that Berenger should turn around and escape. Instead, Berenger raised the harpoon high. They made eye contact for just a moment before he threw it. It flew through the water its sharp edge leaving a trail of black blood in its wake as it ripped open the flesh along the sea witch’s collar. 

Tentacles immediately shoot towards Berenger who let himself be caught. He was smirking at the sea witch. At that moment, Ancel realized that his voice was no longer hanging on the sea witches neck. The harpoon had cleanly pulled it from its neck. It would taste horrible, but it was the only chance Ancel had in getting his voice back. He bit down on the tentacle enclosing his right wrist. His teeth may not be as sharp as the sea witches, but they were still sharp enough to rip apart fish bones. The tentacle released him for a moment. He reached out and grabbed the globe. He cracked it in his fist. Light spilled out between his finger. He swallowed the light and opened his mouth. His voice rose like the tide. Power and strength were infused in its melody. The currents rose with him. They ripped Berenger from the grasp of the tentacles.

“Insolent little merman.” It hissed. There was actual rage displayed on the haggard features. Tentacles rushed towards Ancel, but he avoided them gracefully. This time he would not fall for the same trick twice. With a powerful flap of his tail, he propelled himself to Berenger’s side. He reached out and grabbed ahold of his face. He smashed their lips together. Through their locked lips he gave Berenger the air he was starting to lack. He rested his hands on Berenger’s chest and felt his lungs fill with the much needed air. A tentacle rushed towards them and Ancel pushed Berenger backwards to avoid it. The tentacle rushed past both their face yet touched none of them. Ancel’s song rose in pitch and intensity as he kept on avoiding the tentacles that rushed towards him. Currents were wrapping around Berenger keeping the tentacles away from him. Ancel kept the sea witch in check. Berenger used the moment of distraction to pick up the harpoon again. The sea witch was getting more and more enraged as its tentacles kept missing their target. Curses of rage echoed along the ocean floor. The echo of the voices hurt. It left his ears ringing in pain. He wanted to clutch his head but stopped just in time. Ancel twirled out of the way of one of the incoming tentacles. The echo was one way the sea witch immobilized its prey. 

All of its tentacles were rushing towards Ancel. A withering mass of black attempted to swallow him whole. The tempo of Ancel’s song changed yet again. The currents carried him faster. It seemed almost like he was dancing as he moved out of the way of the tentacles trying to catch a hold of him. Ancel was in pain. His body had reached its limit long ago. Pure stubbornness was the only thing that kept him swimming, the only thing that kept him to keep singing. His notes were becoming wobbly and unclear. His notes were scattering. He could not keep this up for much longer.  
Berenger saw the signs of clear exhaustion. The sea witch’s back was turned towards him. He raised his harpoon and threw it. 

Blood gushed out and mixed with the ocean. He had impaled the heart of the sea witch from behind. It was staring at the sharp tip that protrude from it’s chest. Its eyes were wide. The tentacles that had been trying to catch Ancel ceased their movement. Black blood spilled out from lifeless lips and angry red eyes glared at them.

“Curse y- ….” The rest of the sea witch’s words were swallowed by its last breath. Its chest ceased moving. Just like that the sea witch died. Killed by a mere human. Killed by something it considered food. Ancel let out breath of relief. With his last remaining strength he swam back towards Berenger’s side. He curled his arms around him. His warmth was soaking into him as his consciousness slowly faded. The last thing he saw was Berenger’s worried face as he dragged him towards the surface.


	8. Chapter 7

The first thing Ancel saw as he opened his eyes is a blurry ceiling. It was a lavish ceiling. Decorated with golden carvings and extravagant swirls of silver. It was not the ceiling he would find in Berenger’s home. It was much to lavish for that. He turned his head sideway and was greeted by the sight of Berenger’s profile. He was sitting in a chair besides him. In his hands he was holding a book he didn’t seem to be reading. His gaze seemed far away and Ancel could see the clear exhaustion in his eyes. Dark circles were marring Berenger’s serene features. 

“Berenger?” The name left his lips in a mere slur. His tongue felt heavy and his throat felt dry. Berenger looked up at him with a startled expression. 

“You’re awake,” Berenger said as he hastily put his book aside. His hand cupped Ancel’s cheek. Ancel leaned into the contact. 

“How are you feeling?” Berenger asked with a worried frown. Ancel took stock of his body. It was aching but there was no active pain flaring along his arms. His wounds seemed to be healing.

“Fine. Where are we?” Ancel asked as he looked around. It seemed as if they were in a lavish bathroom. Ancel was laying in a giant tub lined with golden accents. 

“The royal palace.” Berenger answered as he took a comb that was laying in a ceramic dish. He gently started to comb through the mess that Ancel’s hair had become. Ancel leaned into the touch. 

“I’m sor-” The rest of what Berenger wanted to say was interrupted by insistent knocking on the door. With a sigh, Berenger laid the comb down and got up. Ancel could not hear what they were talking about. Berenger closed the door with a sigh.

“We need to be present for the hearing.” Berenger said with yet another sigh. Ancel reached his arms out and Berenger picked him up. He didn’t care that his clothes got wet again and Ancel snuggled deeper into his embrace. He wrapped his arms around his neck and leaned his head on his shoulder. Any nervousness disappeared in the safety of Berenger’s arms. 

His eyes flitted around with interest as they walked the pristine corridors. Again, the decorations were opulent and indulgent. Gold and silver lined the walls as if they were simple wood. The amount took away from the beauty and even Ancel could not help but find it distasteful. People bowed to them as they walked past. A giant door was pushed open for them. Inside he could see a large amount of people. Most of them were dressed in the finest clothes. Jewelry glittered under the chandeliers light. The people started whispering

He could see Prince Laurent. Two guards had drawn their blades. Damen was standing in front of him his own blade still in its scabbard. His hand was resting on the hilt his eyes were glinting with barely suppressed anger. He was ready to draw his sword at any moment. As soon as he felt that someone could be a real danger to his prince. Laurent sidestepped him so that he could address the room at a large. 

“I present you another witness.” Prince Laurent said as he looked straight at the council present before him. He was unflinching and with the sound of his voice the hall fell quiet again. The room was commanded by his presence. Opposite of him stood someone surrounded by two guards. A little boy stood by his right and Ancel shuddered at the memory of the words Berenger had spoken about the regent. It could not be anyone else. Even though he bore little resemblance to Laurent, his presence screamed royalty. 

Berenger carried Ancel towards the chair in the center of the room before gently placing him down. All eyes turned to him and Ancel did not want Berenger to leave. He tugged at his clothes. Berenger smiled at him before standing behind him. His presence at his back was radiating warmth. It settled Ancel’s racing heartbeat. He raised his head and calmly looked at the council before him. Questions after questions were directed his way. He answered each and every one to the best of his ability. As he talked about being captured by the sea witch he could see Berenger’s hand clench into fists at his side. He told word for word what happened, yet he never mentioned the words that the Prince and Berenger had exchanged in the study. 

“A pet merman is such a reliable witness, nephew. Who knows if he is not lying for his master.” The regent said as he watched the play with amusement.

“He is no longer kept.” Berenger’s voice resounded and Ancel felt a stone drop onto his heart. He froze, wide-eyed.

“Our deal was broken, he is a free merman and no one can harm him.” Berenger said as he pulled the document out and ripped it apart in front of all the nobility. Ancel felt sadness crash over him like a tidal wave. He could no longer stay with Berenger. He was no longer wanted. His head dropped and he clenched his eyes shut against the tears that welled up. It felt as if he had not ripped a piece of paper but his heart apart.

“Ancel,” Berengers voice was not as soothing as it used to be a few moments before. Berenger kneeled down in front of him and gently brushed along his cheek. Ancel turned his head away. He couldn’t bear to be touched by him. 

“Ancel, look at me.” Berenger whispered. The trial had resumed around them. Ancel could feel a few hungry gazes on him. It made him shudder. He raised his head and hoped that there were no tears trailing down his cheeks. 

“Stay with me.” Berenger said as he looked straight at him. Confusion was the only thing he felt. Didn’t Berenger not want him?

“Stay by my side without being kept. Stay out of your own free will.” Berenger said as he reached out as if to touch Ancel. At the last moment he dropped his hand. Ancel caught it between his own. He placed it against his cheek and gently nuzzled into the palm of his hand. His heart was still racing wildly out of fear and confusion. Clarity slowly settled over him. Berenger had wanted him to choose. He had wanted him to choose without a contract binding them. 

“Yes,” Ancel said as he fought against the tears that wanted to well up again. 

“Yes, I will stay with you. You impossible man.” Ancel huffed. He reached out and let himself be enveloped in Berenger’s familiar embrace. They were clutching at each other. Ancel nuzzled closer. 

“You are going to pay for the scare you gave me.” Ancel murmured. Berenger hummed in agreement. 

“Pay me in gold and jewels.” Ancel commanded.

“As you wish.” 

He could faintly hear a scathing comment made by the Regent. Prince Laurent answered with his own cutting remark. Ancel dried the tears that escaped his eyes before raising his head to follow the proceedings of the trial. 

“I call forth the second witness.” Prince Laurent called out. 

“The royal physician Pashal, please step forward.” A hush fell over the hall. An older man stepped into the center. He was holding the small ornate box he had retrieved from the ocean in his hand. He opened it and pulled out what seemed like letters. As he read out the contents a horrified stillness rose in the hall. The regent had murdered the former King. He had killed the crown Prince. Prince Laurent’s expression remained carefully neutral. He had known about it. Like he had known about other misdeeds but could tell no one. Outrage rose in the hall. Angry voices rose and people were shouting. Berenger had his arms wrapped securely around Ancel. 

It quietened down as the council announced its decision. The noise started again as the death sentence was announced. He could see the rage overtake the regents face. Laurent was watching him with an indifferent expression and Damen looked satisfied. Berenger let out a breath of relief as he held him tighter. The Regent’s face was slowly becoming purple. He rushed forward in a open display of rage, that Ancel would later learn was very unusual for him. He had pulled a dagger and was rushing towards Laurent. Damen's reaction speed was faster than any of the guards. They could only blink and in the next moment a head was rolling on the ground. Blood was splattering everywhere. Screams echoed around the hall.

“I’m sorry. It should have been your kill.” Damen said towards Laurent. With a shrug Laurent pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to Damen to clean his blade. 

“He would have died anyways.” Prince Laurent said as inspected the head that had rolled in front of his feet. It looked almost as if he contemplated on stepping on it. The boy that had been by the regent’s side had started crying, but no one was paying him any attention. Ancel turned his head away he hated the sight of blood. He could hear someone throw up. He focused on the feeling of Berenger’s heartbeat. The sound of his breath was the sweetest melody. 

“We will withdraw, your Highness.” Berenger said as he bowed towards Prince Laurent. He nodded at them.

“Go, you deserve your rest.” Laurent said with a smile. Berenger picked up Ancel and carried him towards the door.

“Berenger?” Prince Laurent called. Berenger turned around and faced him once more.

“Thank you.” Prince Laurent send them a warm smile. It softened his features and the cold mask he seemed to always be wearing cracked. Damen was watching him with an almost besotted smile. Ancel hid his smile in Berenger’s shoulder. Berenger bowed once again before carrying him out into the Hallway. The feeling of being in Berenger’s arms was something he reveled in. A soft melody filled the halls as he hummed in happiness. 

Berenger entered the room they stayed in and placed Ancel in the big bathtub in the adjourning room. He grabbed a hold of a washing lotion and slowly started to wash Ancel’s body. He felt like he could melt into a puddle of contentment. 

“Berenger,” Ancel murmured as he tilted his head towards the man he adored so. He smiled at him before placing a simple kiss upon his forehead. Ancel hummed under his breath as hands gently washed away the pain of the last day. Bubbles made of soap rose in the air. This was bliss he always wanted this feeling of being content and in a blissful bubble of happiness. Berenger was gently washing down his chest, but he kept it impersonal it irked Ancel. 

He grabbed a hold of Berenger’s hand and slowly lay it directly over where his scales hid his private parts. The scales were soft and malleable. When two mermaids made love beneath the water it looked as if they were closely dancing together. They were wrapped around each other. So that it was impossible to differentiate where one ended and the other began. Ancel wanted that with Berenger. He wanted it so much. 

“Ancel,” Berenger's voice was hushed yet there was an underlying tension in his words. He tried to withdraw his hands, but Ancel refused to let it go. 

“Why won’t you touch me?” Ancel asked in frustration.

“I am touching you.” Berenger said in a confused voice as his other hand trailed through Ancel’s wet hair.

“I meant why won’t you have sex with me” Ancel asked as he stared at Berenger. Before Berenger could say anything Ancel asked another question. 

“Do you not want me? Do you not find me desirable?” The last question almost hurt to ask. He wanted to be desired by him. No one else made him feel like that. Ancel dropped his head. He could not bear to look at him and be told that he did not want him. Berenger reached out and gently took a hold of his chin. He slowly made him raise his head so their eyes would have to meet. 

“No, of course I want you. I desire you so much it hurts” Berenger admitted as he leaned forward and placed a featherlight kiss onto Ancel’s lips. Ancel felt his muscles loosen in relief.

“Then why won’t you touch me?” Frustration was slowly bubbling up. Ancel could not understand this man. He confounded him. 

“I did not know that you truly wanted or that you only did it because you had to do it with your previous… “ Berenger could not find a word that made it sound less like Ancel was an object. Both “Master” and “owner” left a bad aftertaste. Ancel could help the snort that escaped him.

“Owner is what you mean.” Ancel said, not at all bothered with the word. He had long grown accustomed to it. His attention was caught by the rest of his sentence.

“That’s stupid. You are being obtuse.” Ancel said with frustration dripping in his eyes. He rolled his eyes at Berenger’s foolishness. 

“Of course I want you.” He said with a huff as he crossed his arms and glared at Berenger. How could someone who was so clever be so foolish at the same time. Berenger just blinked at him.

“I wasn’t sure. I did not want to hurt you further.” Berenger admitted.

“You not touching me hurt.” Ancel hissed as he slapped his tail in agitation. Water splashed everywhere. Berenger got drenched from head to toe.   
“But -” Berenger tried to say but he got interrupted quite efficiently. Ancel had grabbed his collar and pulled Berenger towards him. The kiss he planted on his lips was harsh and unyielding. His tongue flicked across Berenger’s lips.

“I want you. There are no buts. I just want you.” Ancel said as he glared at Berenger. 

“You were something I owned, it seemed wrong to want you so.” Berenger said while his hand gently stroked along Ancel’s shoulder. 

“Keep me. Keep me again.” Ancel said with fervor. Berenger looked at him with a startled expression.

“Not as a pet, but as a lover. I want you to keep me.” Ancel purred as he he leaned forward and gently licked across Berenger’s closed lips. His expression was coy and Berenger’s throat ran dry. 

“Ancel.” He had to swallow against the lump that suddenly rose in his throat.

“I am yours.” Ancel said as he kissed him again. He felt freer than ever before as he said the words. It was his decision. He was choosing Berenger. 

A startled yelp left his lips as Berenger yanked him closer. Arms were hugging him tightly to Berenger’s chest. Wet fabric was the only thing that stopped their direct skin contact. Fingers trailed along his jaw and gently tilted his head up. Lips descended on his own. They kissed and kept kissing. Hot breath mingled between them as they broke apart. Their lips were a shimmering red and Ancel trailed his tongue across Berenger’s bottom lip. 

“Ancel.” Berenger’s voice was nothing more than a hushed whisper. The sound sent shivers down his spine. He leaned forward and gently nibbled at Berenger’s bottom lip. Berenger opened his mouth and their tongues rolled over each other. It was a fight for dominance that Ancel gladly lost. Berenger’s tongue swirled around his own and slowly explored his mouth. They separated when the need for air got too strong for Berenger. He couldn't hold his breath for as long as Ancel could. A small trail of drool connected their lips and Berenger reached out and gently brushed it away from Ancel’s spit slick lips. His thumb rubbed at the corner of Ancel’s mouth. Ancel tilted his head and slipped the tip of his thumb between his lips. He was watching Berenger from beneath hooded eyes. Gently he started to suck a the thumb. The heat in Berenger’s gaze as he watched him made goosebumps rise across his arms. 

“I love you.” The words tumbled out as if Berenger could not hold them in anymore. Ancel felt tears gather in his eyes. The drops that escaped were slowly kissed away. Each kiss made Ancel’s heart sing. He was loved. It send a feeling of unrivaled happiness through his body. He leaned forward and himself planted kisses onto every piece of skin he could reach. He murmured whispers of love into Berenger’s skin. 

Hot hands trailed along his body. It made him shiver. Berenger’s touch felt like nothing else ever did. It was immeasurable. The light tug at his nipple piercings sent a hum of pleasure down his spine. It left a scorching heat in its wake. Ancel reached out and slipped his hand beneath Brenger’s shirt. His fingers lightly trailed across the warm skin. The touch was as light as a feather still Berenger shivered. He grabbed ahold of Ancel’s wandering hand and stopped him from touching him further. Ancel pouted. 

“It’s my turn to touch you.” Berenger whispered as he leaned forward and started kissing his neck. In reaction to the hot lips traveling down his neck, Ancel couldn't help but tilt his head further to allow easier access. Sounds of pleasure spilled from his lips as he was touched.   
Berenger’s hand slowly wandered downwards. Along the edge of where his skin melted into scales Berenger’s descend slowed. 

“Does it gross you out?” Ancel couldn’t help but blurt out. His half fish body had been called weird and disgusting many time no matter that they still used his body to seek pleasure. He wanted to banish the memory, but the fear of Berenger finding even a tiny part of him disgusting forced the memories to the forefront. 

“No. You’re beautiful.” Berenger said in his simple and honest way. His gaze was unwavering and the hunger in his eyes did not diminish. Ancel let loose a breath of relief. Berenger’s fingers trailed gently over the scales. They felt hard and a bit like polished marble. His fingers trailed over the soft scales and Ancel couldn’t help the moan that escaped his mouth. 

“Here?” Berenger asked with a small smirk playing across his lips. The pressure of his fingers increased and they slipped in between the scales. It was hot and wet inside. Ancel let out a startled sound. The touch send heat searing along his veins. The fingers gently brushed along the underside of his cock that was still hidden away beneath the scales. It was starting to feel uncomfortably tight. Beneath it Berenger plunged his fingers into wet and moist heat. The channel grabbed his fingers like a vice as loose noises of pleasure spilled from Ancel’s lips. 

“Don’t hide.” The words were gently whispered. Slowly he coaxed his cock out from behind the soft scales. Ancel flushed and tried to hide his head away, but Berenger would not let him. Their eyes remained locked and he could see every thought flicker across his features. The close scrutiny made Ancel clench his eyes shut. It only heightened the sensation of Berenger’s fingers trailing along his shaft. The callouses from the stable work felt deliciously rough on his sensitive skin. 

“Ahhh Bere-” A moan interrupted whatever he had wanted to say. The fingers around his shaft had tightened unexpectedly and the sharp touch of pleasure startled a moan out of him. Up and down his hand slid as Ancel watched in flushed fascination. He was quivering beneath his touch. Every time he reached the head he would tighten his hold and Ancel could not help but melt. His hips were moving along with the motion. Jerking up and down in an uncoordinated effort to chase completion. 

Just as the crescent wave build and he was getting lost in the pleasure, the touch disappeared. Ancel let out a startled whine as his hips rose trying to chase Berenger’s hand. Fingers carded through his hair in a soothing motion as he collapsed back against the cool bath tub. A kiss was placed on his temple together with the whispered word: “Patience, love.”

Ancel gulped for air. He never reached his peak and was still shivering with the aftershocks. Pleasure was still rising like a tidal wave. He was clutching at Berenger’s shirt. The return of his touch between his scales send a jolt of heat through him. Another moan left his lips. His channel clenched around the sudden intrusion. The fingers slowly pressed deeper in exploration. Ancel slapped a hand over his mouth as his lips constantly let out sighs and moans of pleasure.

“Don’t. I want to hear you.” Berenger rasped out as his fingers caressed the moist walls. He rubbed over the walls and Ancel’s breath hitched before a howl of unrestrained pleasure broke from his lips. Berenger increased the pressure and rubbed that spot mercilessly. Ancel was almost sobbing. He was overwhelmed with pleasure. Noises left his lips without being able to stop them. He was jolting with every rub over that bundle of nerves. Ancel withered in the tub as his tail trashed about. Still he was careful not to hit Berenger in anyway even while he was lost in pleasure. 

“Ah- Ber. ah-hh” Not a single complete word was able to pass between his lips. He was panting open mouthed. Drool slowly started to pool at the corner of his mouth.   
Another orgasm was rising. Again Berenger’s fingers retreated. Ancel let out a sob of frustration. He glared at Berenger through his tear-filled eyes. His lashes were wet with unshed tears. He grabbed a hold of Berenger’s collar and dragged him forward.

“Damn you. Let me come.” Ancel growled as he glared at Berenger. He planted a harsh kiss on his lips. 

“As you command,” Berenger husked. His fingers plunged back into the now familiar heat. Ancel cried out against his lips. Berenger swallowed the sound as he kissed him. His tongue slowly mimicked the motion of his fingers. In and out. He pushed them as deep as he could. Always making sure that he applied pressure over that sensitive bundle of nerves with each time he pulled out. Ancel was shaking apart beneath him. He was nothing more than a quivering mess of pleasure. 

His orgasm took him by surprise. His shout was eaten by Berenger’s hungry tongue. His body was jolting with the pleasure and started quaking with the aftershocks. He all but collapsed. His limbs felt heavy and lethargic. When Berenger pulled his fingers out he couldn’t help the small noise of protest and the shiver that rose. His emerald scales were painted white with his fluids. Berenger slowly rubbed his fingers through them. Slowly rubbing it into his skin.   
Ancel reached out towards Berenger with clumsy hands. He could see his erection strain against the fabric of his pants. Berenger stopped his hand.

“But you -” Ancels words were slurred and he never finished his sentence as Berenger kissed him once again.  
“This was about your pleasure. You can touch me once we have returned home.” Berenger said as laid another kiss on top of his head.

“Home?” Ancel asked with a dazed smile. 

“Yeah, let’s return home.” He added as the smile slowly turned dazzling. Happiness fizzled along his veins. Like sparks dancing in the night sky. Berenger smiled at him before leaning forward and kissing him once more.


	9. Epilogue

The sun was shining through the water’s surface. It danced across the ocean’s floor. A swarm of fish swam past. A sea turtle circled around him and Ancel smiled at the creature. It warm gaze was on him and Ancel caressed the hard shell. He slowly swam a circle around the reef. Everything was just as he had remembered it. The colourful corals had grown so much bigger and et the feeling remained the same. Bubbles rose to the surface. A small clown fish hurriedly swam back to its anemone as it caught sight of Ancel.

This reef had been the place he had lived for so many years. His dwelling was still there, but most of his collected treasure had disappeared. No golden shimmers greeted him. A swarm of shimmering fish swam past him. It had once been home but now it was just as foreign as the world above had once been. It was no longer his home. His home was sitting in the small wooden boat, that was gently caressed by the waves. He hoped he was not feeling to sick. Slowly, he swam to the surface. Berenger was waiting for him in the boat. His complexion was a little greenish. It matched the light green shirt he was wearing. A choice Ancel was still surprised about. 

Berenger had been run ragged by the newly established court. Since he was one of the few nobles the newly crowned King actually trusted he had a lot of work on his plate. A little pleading and watery eyes had been enough for him to abandon his work though. The trip to the coral reef had been months in the making and now they were finally here. Ancel drank in the sight of Berenger in his part of the ocean. He was barefoot and his trousers legs had been rolled up. His shirt was loose and the top bottoms were loosened. No one else in court would ever see Berenger this relaxed. Even though he was sea sick. 

“Has it changed?” Berenger asked his expression was open and soft. There was hardly any trace of sea sickness to be seen across his features. 

“Everything changes.” Ancel answered with a shrug as he rose from the water and gently rested his body on the edge of the boat. The boat tilted slightly under the added weight but it did not flip. Berenger's grip on his seat was white-knuckled.

“You could remain here if you wanted.” Berenger whispered softly. The words were almost as loud as a shout.

“Eager to be rid of me?” Ancel asked with a teasing smirk. 

“No!” Berenger almost shouted.

“You should have a chance to return home.” Berenger elaborated with a carefully controlled expression. 

“You are my home, silly human.” Ancel said with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. His jewelry sparkled as he tilted his head. Everything was made of the finest gold. He had been gifted only the best. He pulled himself up and slowly reached out towards Berenger. 

“I love you.” Ancel murmured as he caressed Berenger’s cheek. He kissed him before taking ahold of his shoulders and pulling him overboard. With a loud splash, both of them landed in the ocean. Their lips remained locked as they slowly sank towards the ocean floor. His tail was wrapped around Berenger’s legs as he held him close.Their lips moved lazily over each other. Air bubbles rose. He was giving Berenger air. Strong hands roamed across his body and Ancel shivered in delight. He melted into the kiss. He was surrounded by the ocean and in the arms of the man he loved. There was nothing more blissful than this. 

Berenger’s touch was becoming as familiar as breathing. His rough hands caused shivers to dance along his skins. Ancel craved more. He always wanted more. Slowly they sank to the bottom of the ocean. Sand spread out beneath him as his hair swayed with the gentle current. They gently separated their lips. Ancel trailed his fingers across the bare chest that was only displayed for him. His nails lightly scraped along the outlines of muscles that were usually hidden beneath a layer of dull clothes. Fingers gently trailed along his scales. Ancel hummed in contentement. They slipped between his soft scales and into the channel with ease. He threw his head back and a moan echoed. He threw his head back in pleasure as the fingers gently pushed in and out. He was trembling with pleasure. His fingers scrambled to unlace Berenger’s pants. The wet fabric clung to Berenger’s frame. They needed to come off right this moment. He wanted bare skin on bare skin. Berenger chuckled at the eagerness Ancel displayed. Air bubbles rose. Their lips met again and again. Each kiss gave Berenger air that he needed to breathe. All the while Ancel kept trying to get the pants off. With a small noise of frustration he simply ripped the pants apart. He ignored Berenger’s noise of protest and also ripped his undergarments. He grabbed a hold of Berengers dick. At the sudden contact, Berenger let out a startled sound of pleasure. More air bubbles rose. The movement of the fingers inside of him resumed. With each movement a moan and sigh spilled from his lips. 

A noise of protest left his lips as the fingers were pulled out. It was cut off as a much louder moan spilled from his lips. Berenger was slowly pushing into him. Gently he pushed inside till his dick was buried in Ancel’s wet and warm heat. Ancel was shivering as small noises of pleasure continued to spill from his lips. They got louder and louder when Berenger started to move. In and out. With each movement his voice rose in pitch. His siren’s song was infused in each moan that spilled from his lips. Berenger’s name was a constant as they picked up speed. Ancel was jolting with each push. When Berenger hit his bundle of sensitive nerves he could not stop the cry of pleasure. Tears pricked at his eyes. He was nothing but pleasure. He did not know where he began and Berenger ended. It felt as if they were one. Berenger smiled softly at him. Ancel reached out and pulled him into a kiss. His heart felt like it would overflow.

He was free and he was loved. He loved in return. His red hair danced around them like a liquid curtain of fire as they slowly moved with each other. Pleasure sparked along his skin as they made love between the corals he had once called home. His song rose in the air as his pleasure cresended. He saw stars in his eyes. Golden light streamed from above. 

He closed his eyes as their kiss turned soft and gentle. This was happiness, love and freedom rolled into one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this the story is complete. I hope you enjoyed reading this fic. Thank you all for reading and for the lovely comments. <3
> 
> Some things are still left unsaid. If you are left wondering just ask away I will answer ^^


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